Bomberman: Rise of the Golden Bomber
by Swex
Summary: The Bomber Nebula is prospering, and the Bombers couldn't be happier. However, the malevolent Dragon Clan plans to awaken their master Titus and bring destruction to the Nebula. A newly discovered planet holds the key to the Dragon Clan's demise.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Bomberman or affiliated characters, places, or events.

**Prologue**

The Bomber Nebula is prospering. The Bombers have expanded outward significantly, inhabiting other planets and creating a universe of their own. At the forefront of it all is Planet Bomber. This quaint blue and green planet is the original home of the Bomber people. Much like planet Earth, it is covered in water and large land masses. With its red moon, it highly resembles the face of a Bomber when viewed from space. The lush forests that surround the many towns and cities provide a rich haven for the many different creatures that dwell on the planet. The smaller of the towns are comprised of intricate brick buildings, complex waterways, and various windmills which help power the towns. The largest of the cities are comprised of towering buildings, mammoth plazas, and bustling streets. At the center of it all is Bomber Base, a massive operations center that has since expanded from its original singular building. Now containing terminals, landing pads, and office towers, it provides an invaluable transport hub for both civilian and military operations. The Bomber Elite Guard, headed by Commander Nitros, is also based here.

Neighboring Planet Bomber is the Primus Star. With dual rings of space debris and a thick, green atmosphere, it looks as if it is completely uninhabitable. However, under the sea of green lies a world of green fields and massive stone ruins. Primus has its own waterways, controlled via monitoring stations. The Bombers that live here exist under the rule of King Boro, a wise and fair Bomber that inhabits Primus Castle. He and his daughter Princess Millian are protected by the most elite Bomber Knights the Nebula has ever seen. Clad in their armor, they defend the King and the Princess through thick and thin.

The planet Kanatia is a hot, arid affair with vast deserts and boiling magma lakes and volcanoes. The surface is extremely uncomfortable without the proper equipment and a special type of dwelling. The Bombers have found a way to prosper here as well, for under the surface lies a massive part of the Bomber economy. It is here that naturally occurring crystals are mined and refined into gems before being sent to Planet Bomber and the Primus Star. Climate controlled factories and dwellings abound the sandy surfaces of Kanatia, avoiding the heat of the planet's plentiful volcanic craters. The Bombers here wear special internally cooled iron armor complete with protective visors. Other armored Bombers don huge drills worn on their arms in order to make the mining process more efficient. Kanatia is guarded by the Bomber Elite Guard in order to assure that no outside source attempts to invade and steal the riches.

This is where the prosperity ends. The planets Bomber, Primus, and Kanatia form the Nebula's Serene Region. Kanatia is the final border, for neighboring the hot sphere is the planet Mazone. This planet has been overtaken by massive groups of rogue Bombers known as the Dragon Clan. Clad in hardened, purple armor, these Bombers have set up bases in the planet's rainforest-like jungles that dot the bases of the planet's massive, frozen peaks. Expansion into the peaks is underway, with the Dragon Clan developing special armor to cope with the harsh, subzero temperatures on the mountains. The Dragon Clan worships an ancient, mythical beast known as Titus. This icy dragon dominates the very foundation of the Dragon Clan's principles and beliefs, including the beliefs that Titus is hibernating deep in Mazone's core. The Dragon Clan believes only the most powerful of beings can awaken Titus and restore the dragon's mighty reign.

This has motivated the Dragon Clan to rebuild the once destroyed space station Garadan. Built stronger and much more massive, the most elite of the Dragon Clan have commandeered the base and set off into deep space in search of the one being that can assist them in awakening Titus. They have successfully come into contact with the very soul of the being, and have sent their shaman Dracomas into space with the newly rebuilt Garadan satellite. Along with the Elite Dragons, Dracomas hopes to locate the soul, resurrect the being, and bring the entity back to Mazone to complete the ritual.

Meanwhile the Bombers, unaware of the Dragon Clan's scheme, have discovered a new planet. It's brilliant, golden atmosphere has intrigued the Bombers to such an extent that a research program has been developed. The planet, nicknamed Gold 1, has been the subject of debate as the Bombers are willing to travel outside the Serene Region in order to investigate it further. With full cooperation from the Bomber Elite Guard and Commander Nitros, the Bombers have prepared Planet Bomber's biggest and most elite ship, the Genesis. Fully prepared to risk drawing the ire of the Dragon Clan, the Bombers prepare to set out into space with the Genesis in order to find out for themselves what secrets Gold 1 holds.

The Bombers have no idea that Gold 1 holds the secret to the Dragon Clan's demise.


	2. Bomber: The Enlightening

**Bomber: The Enlightening**

White Hero hadn't slept all night. Why should he have? His mind was infected with questions. The young Bomber known as White Hero had been through a myriad of things. He had saved Planet Bomber from Altair's terrifying reign with the Omni Cube. He had saved the Bomber Nebula from the Garadan Empire, which in turn allowed the Bombers to expand outward and prosper on the planets that made up the core structure of the Nebula.

Well, most of the planets. The Dragon Clan was well known as the most notorious and dangerous gang in the Nebula. Every other gang may as well have been considered harmless street punks in comparison to what the Dragon Clan were capable of. Even stranger was the fact that the strong emergence of the Dragon Clan had caused other gang activity to diminish to such an extent that even petty vandalism was becoming rare. White Hero and the rest of the Bombers knew never to breach the edges of the Serene Region. It was simply too risky and too detrimental to everything the Bombers had. Mazone and beyond were off limits.

Yet through all of the trials and tribulations, White Hero had always preferred to be called Bomberman. To him, it was a much more simple and comfortable nickname.

A voice floated in through his window, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yo! Bomberman! You coming down? It starts in twenty minutes!"

Bomberman peered through his open window to find his best friend Red Honor down on his lawn. Though there were other red Bombers, Red had been given the distinguished honor of being called "Red Honor" through his hard work in the Bomber Elite Guard. Though he was a new recruit, he had done a lot of work in helping crackdown on illegal activities both on Planet Bomber and on the Primus Star. After earning a medal of recognition from King Boro on Primus, Red had been given his exclusive name. Commander Nitros had personally named him, making the name that much more honorable.

"I'm heading down now. Trust me, I don't aim to miss this anymore than you do. It's kept me up all night!" Bomberman shouted down.

"You and me both! I'm either nervous, excited, or both!"

Red was talking about the briefing at Bomber Base. The Guard had been promising a briefing to all who wanted to attend. An open briefing like this was rare, since the guard usually kept quiet about matters. Bomberman of course had always been allowed into the briefings, but this was Red's first. Red had always been busy on duty with the Guard, but now he was finally going to be able to attend a briefing. Not to mention an extremely important one such as this.

Ever since Gold 1 had been discovered by Bomber Base's observatories, a major wave of theories and gossip enveloped Planet Bomber. Now, hopefully some answers would be disclosed as to what exactly the Guard's plans were. All anybody knew was that the Guard planned to load up the Genesis and head outside the Serene Region to explore the new planet. This fact alone caused extreme unrest on Planet Bomber. Hopefully that unrest would be eased a bit with this briefing.

Bomberman met Red on his lawn and they headed for the nearby canal. Planet Bomber's towns and cities had canal systems with boats to help transport people around. The larger cities had busses, but for the capital city of Expith, canals and bikes were the main source of transportation. The city was old and historic, and had a different kind of charm. Some Bombers had cars, but most preferred to use the bikes or the boats. Bomberman and Red barely caught a boat as it was preparing to leave. Hurrying aboard, the found their seats and eagerly awaited the eventual arrival at Expith's main plaza.

"Why do you live so damn out of the way anyway?" Red asked Bomberman.

"I like living near the edge of the forests. It has a certain peace you can't replicate anywhere else. Besides, after everything I've been through that peace is much needed on certain days of the week."

"I've thought about moving out near the forests. With my duties in the Guard however, it's more prudent to live closer to the Base. But man, one day I'll live out there."

"I'll save you a plot. Count on it."

"Speaking of plot, what do you think the Guard is plotting? Leaving the Serene Region is risky, even for a new planet."

"I've been wondering that myself. You'd think after getting brainwashed by the Garadan Empire, Nitros would be the last guy that would want to venture outside the Serene Region. I never did understand his brain, but he seems to be fit to command the Guard."

"He's a hell of a commander. He's steadfast; whether or not that's a good thing is anyone's guess. He watches our backs though, and we have his."

"Seems to work out just fine. I'm really curious as to what the Guard has to say about Gold 1."

"Hopefully they tell us it's made out of real gold. Otherwise I personally can't find a good reason to venture out there to explore it."

"We'll find out soon enough. Looks like we're here."

The boat glided up to the main dock leading to Expith's main plaza. As they disembarked, the Bombers hurried off the boat and through the busy plaza. Obviously they weren't the only ones interested in the briefing, as damn near the whole city had turned out for this. As they neared the checkpoints leading to the base, they discovered a massive line winding well into the plaza. There seemed to be no end in sight. They spotted a friend, Blue Trooper, on guard duty.

"Bomberman! Red! Over here!" he yelled out.

As they ran up to him, he seemed to be in quite the rush to locate the two.

"Commander Nitros wants you two in the front row for this one. Follow me and we'll get you guys past these lines in a hurry. Let's be quick, though."

They didn't ask questions as they followed Blue through the lines and into the Trooper Headquarters building. Following Blue closely, they made their way past more troopers. Some were resting and some were preparing to go on guard duty outside. They arrived at one of the escalators servicing the inner core of the base, which contained the main briefing center. A guard at the base of the escalator stopped them.

"Blue. White. Red. Nitros is expecting you. Be advised you all will be in the front row for a reason, as Nitros is expected to fully include your services in the mission."

"I think we're ready. Nothing about Nitros takes me by surprise anymore." Bomberman wisely replied.

They passed the guard and boarded the escalator. As they road up they looked down to see the lines of people going through metal detectors and boarding elevators to the upper levels of the base in order to access the seating balconies up there. More escalators past the elevators were clogged with people. This was one hell of a turnout.

They arrived at the top and were ushered through the massive doors into the main briefing room. They made their way down the aisle and took their seats. A smartly dressed podium stood in front of a massive screen displaying Gold 1 for all to see. It was an intriguing planet, with a thick, swirling golden atmosphere. One had to wonder just what it concealed.

Bomberman glanced around at the turnout. The room had been expanded significantly since the guard had increased recruiting. The lower levels were filled with troops and local dignitaries, while the upper balconies were reserved for the general public. The hum of excitement filled the room as Captain Blast stepped up to the podium to speak. He always had been one of the toughest Captains in the guard, and it wasn't until recently Nitros promoted him to the most senior Captain position. He adjusted his medals on his uniform before he spoke boomingly.

"Members of the Bomber Elite Guard and citizens of Expith, presenting the distinguished High Commander Nitros!"

The applause was deafening as Nitros stepped up to the podium. Clad in his blue armor, he stood proud before the massive contingent of Bombers assembled before him. It was hard to tell if the applause was for him, or due to the anticipation of the briefing to come.

"As you all know by now, the Bomber Elite Guard has acquired a persistent interest in a planet simply dubbed Gold 1. We have no official name for it yet, and we hope to discover more of it's origins upon further exploration. As many of you have heard, the current plan is to fully equip the Genesis and use it to reach the planet."

This was nothing new. The crowd anticipated a new update on the project.

"The plan has not changed. We have the best flight crew on Planet Bomber ready to take to the heavens. I know there have been worries over breaching the Serene Region, as well as worries over the Dragon Clan. I can assure you that we fully believe the Dragon Clan will not move out to stop us. Their ships have not been sighted in quite some time and it appears that most of their activity on Mazone has gone dormant for the most part."

Nitros glanced over at Bomberman and Red.

"White Hero, Red Honor, please stand."

They were quick to comply and anticipated what was coming next.

"Here are two of the best Bombers to ever grace this planet. We all know of White and Red's services and accomplishments toward the mission of peace and integrity. This is why I've chosen these two to help lead our efforts in discovering all that Gold 1 has to offer."

What assignments could Nitros have for them?

"If you choose to accept, I would like you both to help secure the serene region. White, go to Primus and make sure the Kingdom of Primus is safe. The Knights are great warriors, but I wouldn't mind giving them a little extra cover just to be safe. Red, head to Kanatia and make sure our mining operations are secure. Once we know for certain the Serene Region is secure, the Genesis can move out and begin the trip to Gold 1. Do you accept these missions?"

Bomberman glanced at the crowd, eagerly anticipating his answer.

"I don't know what lies beneath Gold 1's atmosphere and to be honest it intimidates even me. But if it means our sacred Nebula has the opportunity to further it's development, I'll do everything in my power to assure it's safety and integrity." Bomberman said, mostly triumphantly.

"What the hell. I'll go. I need a vacation." Red responded.

The crowd acknowledged and commended their dedication with cheers and applause. The briefing wasn't over yet.

"I now present Professor Ein to further explain the scientific aspects of the planet we know so far"

Professor Ein was greeted with the same enthusiasm that Nitros received from the crowd. His white lab coat looked stunningly clean, and his thick glasses and gray beard completed what was a typical expectation for a professor to resemble.

"Gold 1 is comprised of what appears to be several different gasses making up a complex atmosphere. The variances in the gold coloring lead us to believe there are several different gases involved. Notice that the atmosphere swirls, indicating a strong possibility that there is a flow of some kind beneath it. It could be air, or it could be something else. This is a pretty good indication that the planet does indeed have a solid crust and very inhabitable atmosphere. With the Genesis, we can find out what lies below that atmosphere and, if conditions permit, possibly set foot on Gold 1." Ein said.

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

"That isn't all. Earlier this week we received a strange transmission from the vicinity of Gold 1. This gives us almost irrefutable evidence that there is some kind of presence on or near the planet. If we can get the speakers going, you'll hear what I am referring to."

The speakers in the hall came on as Professor Ein adjusted knobs on his equipment. At first, all that could be heard was a garbled noise. As Ein made more adjustments, it became much clearer. It was a solitary word.

"Arumeus."

That was it. The word sounded as if it was spoken by many voices at once. The entire room was silent until Nitros spoke up again.

"This is one of many reasons we plan on going to Gold 1. Something is out there, and we aim to find out what it is. It could be friend, or it could be foe. Time will tell. This briefing is adjourned. For now."

The odd and uncomfortable silence slowly gave way to curious chatter as everyone filed out of the briefing room. Bomberman and Red looked at each other in awe.

What the hell had they all just heard?


	3. Bomber: Visions

**Bomber: Visions**

Nobody could figure out what the hell it meant.

Arumeus.

The strange word echoed in the minds of each and every Bomber as they exited the briefing at Bomber Base. Bomberman and Red were at a loss for words, but the steady hum of chatter around them proved that almost nobody else was.

"Red. Captain Blast would like to speak to you regarding your assignment on Kanatia." Nitros said, appearing beside them rather suddenly.

Without saying a word Red marched off toward Captain Blast, who was already in the middle of briefing a few troopers that would accompany Red to Kanatia. As Bomberman watched Red jog off to his briefing, he was jolted with a sudden and intensely violent vision. It was so vivid, the fear of a false reality filled Bomberman almost to the point of no return.

He saw chaos. More importantly, he saw a being the size of which dwarfed the moons orbiting around it. The shadows were thick enough that detail could not be discerned. What Bomberman could see however, was movement in the space surrounding the being. It appeared as if others were fighting it, waging a seemingly impossible battle for dear life. Small yet powerful beings circled the beast, intermittently firing off magic the likes of which looked familiar to Bomberman. The beast lunged out, knocking everything off balance and the vision abruptly ended.

"Bomberman! White! Hey! You looke terrible! You need a doctor?" Nitros shouted.

Bomberman snapped out of the vision just as quickly as it had overtaken him. He was shaken, but quickly composed himself.

"No. No, I'll be alright. I'm just trying to digest everything."

"There's more to digest. Come with me to my office. There are matters I feel you deserve to finally know about."

Bomberman followed Nitros up to the stage, then around and behind it. Through the black curtained backdrop, down a narrow hallway, and to a private elevator they went. As they rode up, Nitros remained silent. The window in the elevator eventually gave way to a view of the plaza below. The Bombers gathered there in large groups, likely discussing the briefing and their thoughts and concerns. There wasn't too much time to think on it, for the elevators doors soon opened. The large and pleasantly decorated office greeted them.

"Please, have a seat." Nitros said softly.

Bomberman sat in the chair opposite the desk. He leaned forward, fully intent on listening to what Nitros had to say. If anything, it would surely keep his mind off the vision that had violated his conscience and turned his stomach in directions it was never meant to be turned.

"I've never told you the full story. I've really never told it to anyone, really. Those that know how I came to be today are the ones that experienced it with me. There was a pact. We agreed we'd never speak of it to anyone, mostly out of humbleness. I suppose it's not meant to be a massive secret, and humbleness cannot take precedent over the safety of our planet." Nitros began.

"Is this in reference to how you came to be the High Commander?" Bomberman inquired.

Nitros rose from his chair and carefully walked over to the window.

"Indeed. It's been years since Bagular possessed me to fight for him. I've slowly been working on forgiving myself for what I did. I was a bastard. By serving the Bomber Elite Guard, I've felt finally that what I do is worth it. You defeated that monster and saved me. For that I honestly cannot consider myself your superior. It's unfortunate that the events that followed transpired the way they did. Still, you were amazing in the way you handled it."

"The Astral Knights. Those were terrifying times." Bomberman somberly replied.

"When Rukifellth rose to power and those Knights attacked, almost all of our resources were sent to Bomber and Primus to protect the Bombers and Princess Millian. Kanatia hadn't fully developed, and it was so incredibly hot and barren that the Knights had virtually no interest in it. Our troopers were able to secure Bomber and Primus, but before I could get to Primus to finalize the lockdown, myself and a few other troopers were captured by rogue supporters of the Astral Knights. We were taken to Alcatraz and imprisoned deep in the lost world. I saw things there that I never imagined could take place."

"You were on Alcatraz?! Had I known that, I'd have done more to help you…" Bomberman trailed off.

"You did well, White. Before you arrived, we had all witnessed Baelfael committing crimes against humanity I dare not speak of. Shortly after you arrived and liberated Alcatraz, we managed to force our way out of the prison. There was a slight issue however. I trust you remember Natia?"

"Vaguely. She was the one that controlled Cronus."

"Baelfael rebuilt the machine, and he was using it to patrol our sector. It accosted us, and it seemed as if our lives were over. That's where Red comes into the equation. I'm not sure if he's ever told you this, but he was able to single handedly defeat that machine and get us all out of there. He had called in a recon fleet when he heard you had liberated the planet, and they found us just in time."

"Red never told me. He's been a loyal friend for a long time, so it's no surprise he would selflessly risk his own life for the Guard."

"I named him Red Honor for the sacrifices he made on Alcatraz. He's done a lot for the Guard and I'm proud to have him with us. Shortly after we were able to leave Alcatraz, we came to find out that Zoniha had personally kidnapped Captain Blast while he was on a mission to Primus to airdrop supplies. At the time he was actually High Commander Blast."

Bomberman couldn't believe it.

"He was High Commander?!" He asked in disbelief.

"Indeed he was. She had gunned down the troopers protecting him, hauled him aboard her ship, and took him back to Epikyur. She was holding him prisoner underground and torturing him pretty badly. We organized a raid on Epikyur in the dead of night and were miraculously able to rescue him. I personally got him out of that prison and was able to do some damage to Zoniha before we got the hell out of there. No doubt she was able to heal before you got there."

"Blast was tortured? H…how bad was it?"

"She had broken his legs so he couldn't get away. She planned on keeping him there and weakening him before executing him and dumping his body in space. The raid had her shaken a bit, but she was ready to fight to the end. His injuries were such that he could no longer commit to the High Commander position. He temporarily promoted me to the position while he healed, but that all changed once Sthertoth arrived."

"The demon. No doubt his influence was overwhelming. Rukifellth and the Astral Knights didn't have a prayer."

"We knew once Rukifellth succumbed to Sthertoth's influence, we couldn't let him escape. I moved the troops out and we used every ship we could find in our inventory to cordon off the deep space around the Warship Noah. If he for any reason had attempted escape, we would have given him hell until we couldn't fight anymore. Thankfully it never came to that, as you were able to defeat him and Sthertoth."

"I did what I could because I knew full well the fate of the Nebula was at stake. Bulzeeb had given me trouble in the past. I knew him as Regulus. He had helped Altair attack the Nebula once before, and they had planned to use the Omni Cube to eradicate everything."

Nitros paused. Silence followed until he spoke again.

"What exactly happened back then? I'm not sure you've told me the details."

"Altair had attacked planets prior to attacking Bomber. He had chained massive chunks of each to his battle fortress. At the time the military had come up with codenames for each piece of planet. Green Garden, Blue Resort, White Glacier, and Red Mountain. We found out after Sirius's defeat that Altair was using fear and intimidation to overtake these planets."

"How so? You said he had chunks of destroyed planets. That should have been convincing enough I would think."

"That's what we thought. It turns out Blue Resort was just a piece of his home planet. He used it to fool the other planets into thinking he had destroyed an entire planet. With that once piece alone he took over a planet, stole a piece of the newly acquired planet, and continued to use them to take over other planets. By the time the citizens of the captured planets knew he was bluffing, they were already well under his control."

"So in essence you're telling me Altair was just a bully?"

"Don't get me wrong, he was powerful. He had a power that could cause a lot of devastation if he so chose to do so. Instead, he used clever trickery to fool people into thinking he had fully destroyed these planets. Granted, he could easily destroy whatever the hell he wanted to. He was just smarter than that, and he almost succeeded."

"You destroyed the Omni Cube."

"Not before Sirius got his hands on it. He used me to get to Altair, and he finished Altair off and stole the Cube. After I defeated Sirius, we discovered the secrets behind the chunks of planets. Altair had discovered much of the Nebula before we even knew half of what was there. Green Resort was in reality a large chunk of Primus. White Glacier came from Mazone's mountains, and Red Mountain came straight from Kanatia. We were able to help haul the chunks back and rebuild what we could of each planet. Altair had done his damage, but we did our best to rectify it. Blue Resort ended up being used to help expand Expith. It's a very historic district, as you well know."

"How exactly could you pinpoint where these pieces came from?" Nitros asked.

"Survivors found on each piece were able to tell us where they had come from. There weren't many, but we saved who we could."

"And what of Sirius?"

"I had fought him in a palace high above the sky. I have no idea where it came from or if he built it himself. Even more disturbing was the fact that the whole thing had disappeared once we had gone back to investigate it. He had called it Rainbow Palace, but hell if I know where it is now."

"Strange that a place like that can just vanish. The whole thing is insane, and that kind of past can really take a toll on someone. Have you been feeling alright?" Nitros asked, concerned.

Bomberman sighed.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but down in the briefing room I had a vision. It was violent and all I could see were shadows. There were people fighting some kind of large creature. I don't know what it means, but it shook me bad."

"Unfortunately I can't help you there, but your concerns are not without merit. My troopers have reported that there is a lot of talk going around. Especially since the discovery of Gold 1. Some of the Bombers feel it is a gift from above. Others feel it is a true sign of the apocalypse. For now it is what it is; a giant, golden sphere out in space."

"I have a feeling it's much more than that…"

"All I know is, the transmission we received all but proves that someone or something is lurking on or around that planet. It's more than worth risking a trip outside the Serene Region in order to make absolute sure that planet is not a threat. I must ask, though. Are you absolutely sure you're up for going to Primus?"

"I am. We need to secure the Nebula, and I wouldn't mind seeing Pommy again."

"Pommy?"

"He's a creature that I befriended before I set out to defeat Rukifellth and the Astral Knights. He contributed a lot and really helped save the day. He lives with Princess Millian now."

"I trust you'll see to their safety then. Red is departing for Kanatia tomorrow morning. Do you think you'll be ready to go then as well?"

"It won't take much getting my ship ready. I'll make sure to get as much rest tonight as possible and I'll be ready first thing in the morning."

"You're work is always appreciated. The Genesis should be ready to move out in a day or so. I'll see you in the morning."

As Bomberman headed toward the elevator, Nitros spoke once more.

"White."

Bomberman turned to face him.

"I'm glad we had this talk."

"As am I." Bomberman replied with a smile.

"The future is uncertain. But it'll take us where we are meant to go."

Those words hung with Bomberman as he rode the elevator down and made his way to Expith's main plaza. The boat ride home was a blur, and by the time Bomberman crawled into bed the sun had been down for hours.

The night wasn't over, for a disturbing nightmare visited Bomberman in his sleep. In it, he climbed out of bed when he noticed a bright light passing over his house. He looked up at the sky and realized it was a craft of some sort. He couldn't make out anything specific, and a loud roar had him fleeing to his bed in total fear. Suddenly he could no longer move, as if being held down by the power of the magnet. Light filled the room, and he could make out a creature within the light outside his window. It didn't move to climb in the window, but rather stayed in place watching Bomberman through thee window. He heard the word again in his head.

"Arumeus."

He awoke with a start. There was no light, and the creature was gone. Tomorrow would be a long day.


	4. Primus: The Intruders

**Primus: The Intruders**

The elevator doors parted, allowing bright sunlight in. Bomberman squinted as he stepped out onto Bomber Base's main helipad. The Genesis was in full view, and the preparations were being made to send it out to Gold 1. As Bomberman walked across the helipads toward his ship, he couldn't help but think about the weird dream he had the night before. What was that creature in his window? What did it want with him? There were too many questions and not enough answers. He needed to get to Primus.

He swiftly boarded his ship and started the engines. After powering up the instruments he was ready to take off.

"Bomber tower, zero-one ninety requesting permission to lift off helipad six. Destination is Primus." Bomberman said into his headset.

"Copy that zero-one ninety. You are cleared for lift off on helipad six to Primus. Have a safe flight."

Bomberman spooled up the engines and powered the ship into the sky. As he left Bomber's atmosphere, the blackness of space greeted him. Looking out the windshield, it was hard to imagine that the Nebula was under such disorder and danger. It was a sobering thought. As he cleared Bomber, he prepared to send the ship into jump speed. He switched over to the ship's internal charge packs and cut off flow from the main fuel tanks. The ship slowed, almost anticipating the jump. A low, droning sound indicated the packs were charging up. A green indicator light illuminated on the instrument panel, and Bomberman punched the trigger on the ship's steering column. The ship soared through space, everything outside the windshield just a blur of random colors.

Bomberman strained against the straps holding him to his seat. His body was used to this, and in a way it was oddly exhilarating. Soon the ship came out of jump speed, and Primus beckoned ahead. The thick green atmosphere was unusually inviting, perhaps because Bomberman had been there before. As the ship began to descend into Primus, Bomberman made contact with the main airbase.

"Primus Airstrip, this is zero-one ninety inbound from Planet Bomber requesting permission to land."

"Copy that zero-one ninety. You are cleared to land on pad six. Welcome to Primus."

Bomberman's ship descended through the thick atmosphere and the main airbase came into view. Each of the landing pads had large corresponding numbers painted on them. Pad six was easy to locate, and in no time Bomberman had the ship on the ground and the engines shut down. As the hatch opened, he was greeted by a group of the Primus's Elite Knights. The sun was beginning to set, so Bomberman was glad to have an escort to the castle. One of the Knights spoke up.

"Bomberman, on behalf of the Elite Knights, I welcome you back to Primus. We've never forgotten what you did for us when the Garadan Empire threatened our planet."

"It's always an honor to be considered a friend by Princess Millian and the Knights. I've come back to make sure all is well here before the Genesis makes the trip to Gold 1. I trust King Boro has been in contact with the Elite Guard?"

"Indeed he has. King Boro is grateful that the Elite Guard wishes to secure the Serene Region, rather than make a hasty trip without considering the possible consequences."

"Gold 1 is a planet we know next to nothing about, so it would be prudent to make sure we're all on the same page before going anywhere near it."

"We're all definitely on the same page in those regards. If you're ready, King Boro and Princess Millian have been expecting you."

Bomberman followed the Knights down a winding path and out of the airbase. They arrived at a checkpoint at the edge of the forest and passed through after receiving security clearance. They entered a private waterway and boarded a boat to Primus Castle. The Knight that had greeted Bomberman, Barius, explained the current situation at the castle.

"Things for the most part have been well. However, a couple of nights ago the Princess began having nightmares. She has these dreams about men in purple armor coming to kill everyone in the castle. She has fears of being watched at night, so we've been keeping extra guards around her room. It's per the King's orders."

"If I may, I'd like to speak with her about those nightmares. The men in purple armor she refers to sound exactly like the Dragon Clan."

"Precisely. We've increased our patrols around the castle grounds. I don't like the thought of those criminals on Primus period, much less near the castle."

They eventually arrived at the castle's main gate. Pommy was already waiting outside.

"So, Bomberman has finally returned to Primus. It's good to see you again!"

Bomberman was slightly taken aback at Pommy's speech patterns. They were much more sophisticated than they were when they took on Rukifellth together.

"Wow Pommy. I'm impressed. You've changed quite a bit since you've been living here at the castle!" Bomberman exclaimed.

"Princess Millian has taught me quite a bit about different cultures. It's helped me grow in both maturity and intelligence. It's too bad the Princess is in such a bad place with those nightmares."

"I'll get to the bottom of it. I'm almost sure I know what's causing her nightmares, and if so we need to do a complete sweep of this planet as soon as possible."

"She's been waiting for you. We all have. You're the only one that seems to calm her down. Follow me. She's inside her private chambers."

Bomberman followed Pommy and the knights through the castle's massive front door and into the vast, cool main hall. More knights guarded the mammoth staircase to the throne room, as well as the side staircases leading to the castle's east and west wings. Bomberman knew enough about the place to know the Princess Millian's private chambers were in the east wing. He followed Pommy up the east staircase, through the doors, and into a bright, ornate hallway. Shortly after, they arrived at the doors to Millian's chambers.

"She's expecting you. I'll be waiting in the main hall." Pommy stated before skipping off down the hall.

Bomberman knocked on the door, and a butler let him inside. Almost immediately Princess Millian was there, and wrapped Bomberman up in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're here! I've had the worst fear of being outside lately! I can't even sleep at night…" Millian trailed off.

"Let's sit down. Tell me what's wrong." Bomberman replied.

They took a seat on one of the many plush couches in the smartly decorated room. Princess Millian wrung her hands in worry, almost afraid to tell Bomberman what she had been experiencing.

"It's been agonizing. I sleep very little at night; the tossing and turning has been getting worse. I keep having nightmares of evil men in purple armor coming to the castle and killing everyone. When I'm awake, I fear being alone in these chambers. I have a constant, terrifying feeling that I'm being watched. I keep my curtains closed, but lately the overall feeling in the castle is that we are all being watched by someone or something. I fear for this planet more than I've ever feared anything before."

"The last thing I want is for you to be alarmed, but these men in purple armor can't be anyone else but the Dragon Clan."

"That's precisely why I'm so afraid. The Dragon Clan is capable of incredible evil, and I fear they are out there somewhere, planning to kill us all."

"I should really speak to your father. I'd like to sweep the immediate area around the castle, and then possibly sweep the planet for any signs of imminent danger."

"He's been so busy trying to maintain public relations with the other planets, he hasn't had much time to worry about the fear within the castle, I'm afraid. He'd listen to you over anybody else here. I'll go with you. I can't be alone in this room right now."

They arose from the couch and the butler escorted them out. Pommy awaited them at the top of the stairs.

"Bomberman, the King wants to speak with you. It sounds urgent." He quipped.

"I was on my way there now, actually. I have some things I need to speak to him about as well."

They treaded down the stairs and up to the massive wooden doors leading to the throne room. The two guards allowed them entry, and the mammoth hall awaited them. As they walked toward the throne, King Boro looked up at them with weary eyes.

"I am glad you arrived here safely, Bomberman. I welcome you back. Sadly, the welcoming party must be cut short, for there are matters at hand requiring immediate attention." The King announced.

"I could feel the fear within this place the moment I walked in. I have a sinking feeling I know the source, and it's not pleasant news."

"No doubt indeed. I too am aware of the Dragon Clan activity increasing in prominence. I dare not alarm the people of my planet until we know for sure what is occurring out there, but I fear currently for Primus specifically."

"I have a feeling your planet is in imminent danger. If you permit, I would like to do a sweep of the immediate area around the castle. I feel these fears of being watched at night are valid and if so we need to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible."

The King turned toward Barius.

"Secure this castle. You and your squad will accompany Bomberman on an outdoor sweep of the property. Nobody will enter this castle but your group, and nobody will leave this castle until the sweep is complete. Be thorough."

Barius and the Knights moved to the castle's front door. Everyone else in the castle had been ordered either to the security of the throne room, or to their private chambers under close guard. Once all was secure, the massive wooden doors were opened; the brisk night air wafting into the castle's foyer.

Bomberman and the Knights split up into two groups, each taking opposing perimeters around the castle grounds. At first, the tension was thick enough to blow up with a bomb. However, as the sweep reached the half-hour mark, things eased up to the point where casual conversation could be comfortably had.

"Maybe the castle grounds are safer than we thought." One of the Knights quipped.

"Stay alert. Just because we haven't seen anything doesn't mean the shadows are clean." Bomberman replied.

Bomberman's group moved through the thick brush, using stealth as their primary weapon. Communication by radio was out of the question, as any sudden noises could jeopardize the sweep and scare away any intruders before they could be found. Not long after they had traversed deep into the brush, Bomberman motioned for them to stop.

No words had to be spoken. The Knights knew Bomberman had seen something, and everyone was on edge. Soon, Bomberman silently reached for a bomb. The Knights carefully drew their swords. The brush in front of the group began moving violently, and Bomberman threw his bomb into it. The group ducked in cover as the explosion ripped through the thick bushes. As the smoke cleared two purple clad Dragon Clan Warriors could be seen slowly rising up from the damaged ground. The Knights quickly accosted them, dragging them back to the castle proper.

As the group reached the castle's outer wall, Barius's group came into view. They too had accosted two Dragon Clan warriors. Apparently the threat was indeed imminent. Bomberman and the Knights lined the warriors up against the wall and Barius stepped forward. He drew his sword and pressed it to the neck of one of the warriors. Inches from breaking skin, he began the interrogation.

"Why are you scum here? Answer the question! I swear by the hilt of this sword your blood will spill where you stand!" Barius boomed.

"I have nothing to tell pathetic peasants such as you! The Dragon Clan owes no explanation to anyone. Period!" The warrior responded.

Barius nodded to Bomberman. A bomb was produced. That seemed to do the trick.

"Ok! Don't use the bomb again! We were here on a scouting mission!"

"A scouting mission, eh? Why exactly are you stalking our castle, scum?" Barius retorted.

"We were scouting out possible threats to our battle plan. The generals wish to move to secure this planet, and they're planning to start by taking over the ruins not far from here and establishing a base there."

"The Ruins of Viridis!? They won't be touching our sacred ground without paying with their lives!"

Barius turned to Bomberman.

"We'll keep these criminals in the dungeon for tonight. Tomorrow, they're off to Thantos for a nice long stay. We'll move out for the Ruins tomorrow. The Dragon Clan will not have them."

The group moved back into the castle and secured the warriors in the dungeon. After relaying the news to the King, everything was agreed upon. Bomberman and the Knights would move to the Ruins of Viridis first thing in the morning.


	5. Primus: The Ruins

**Primus: The Ruins**

Bomberman and the Elite Knights arrived just as dawn broke. They sat quietly on the outskirts of the forest that surrounded the sacred Ruins of Viridis. Bomberman strained his eyes, glaring around the ruins of the sacred temples that made up Viridis's core structure. They all knew the Dragon Clan would be making their appearance here. This was the most important and sacred location on the entire planet.

It didn't take long.

The drop ships appeared on the horizon, releasing several fully equipped Dragon Clan warriors. The warriors moved to the ruins and began to take up position there. All attention was on Barius, for he was to give the order to attack. Hesitation was nowhere to be found within the steadfast Knight.

"MOVE OUT! NEUTRALIZE!" He bellowed.

Bomberman and the Elite Knights rushed from the forest and straight into battle. The Dragon Clan warriors were taken aback by the surging attack, but they quickly composed themselves and began to fight back. They wielded full sized swords as well as smaller hand held blades that could be thrown with deadly precision. Bomberman threw bombs carefully, making sure not to damage any of the sacred ruins.

Soon, the Dragon Clan warriors began using modified bombs that were significantly smaller than the ones Bomberman used. The Elite Knights responded by deploying custom made armored bombs. These bombs delivered nasty shrapnel when they detonated. The blast itself was hardly threatening, but the shrapnel was designed to kill by ripping anyone apart unfortunate enough to be in range. It was imperative that they be used carefully, as the Knights needed to make sure every fellow Knight wasn't caught in the crossfire.

Bomberman lobbed a bomb into a group of charging warriors. The ensuing explosion blew the armor clean off of them. A few died, but a couple others weren't so lucky. Bomberman was about to throw another bomb at them when a voice shouted out from behind him.

"Please! Allow me!"

One of the Elite Knights rushed past Bomberman to the two dying warriors. With two quick plunges of his sword, they were finished. He looked up at Bomberman with a satisfied look on his face.

"Now THAT, my friend is how you slay a dragon!"

Bomberman had no time to dwell on the somewhat clever response, for an explosion behind him sent him careening over one of Viridis's massive stone pillars and into a stone pit on the other side. Stagnant water filled the pit, and Bomberman was both grateful and repulsed that he happened to land in it. As he emerged from the pit, he could hear Barius's booming voice emanate from the battle happening on the other side of the ruins.

"Stay steadfast! Secure the perimeters first!"

As Bomberman moved away from the pit, he thought it best to try and move around the rear of the ruins. That way, he had a small chance of surprising some of the warriors from behind. However, he was cut off by the swinging blade of a very determined Dragon Clan warrior that had been hiding behind the ruins. He was able to dodge it, but that only seemed to anger the pursuing warrior.

"Your blood will be mine!" The warrior yelled out.

As Bomberman tried to get far enough away to throw a bomb, he was grabbed by two more Dragon Clan warriors from behind. His pursuer drew his sword.

"Bring him over here. I want to personally cut his head off as a gift to our master!"

Bomberman was dragged toward the warrior's menacing blade. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to get out of this one. The warrior drew back his sword, preparing to strike.

"Believe me when I say I'm going to really enjoy this…"

The warrior was cut off by a sudden surge of flame from above. The flames licked his body, hot enough to melt his armor off. He screamed in agony as his flesh began to burn, seared clean off the bone. Soon, all that was left was a smoldering skeleton. The other two warriors released Bomberman and attempted to flee in absolute terror. Unfortunately for them, they too were struck by the lethal flames and soon perished. Bomberman wasn't sure what was happening, but he knew he had to return to the main battle as quickly as possible.

As he returned to the fray, he could see Barius and the other Elite Knights were still in battle. He joined in, throwing bombs and helping out where he could. However, things took a turn for the worse when even more Dragon Clan warriors emerged from the forest. The drop ships had evidently deployed more warriors than originally perceived. Bomberman and the Elite Knights were now heavily outnumbered. The attack suddenly stopped, and one of the head Dragon Generals stepped forward and began to speak.

"It would appear as if you're defeated. The ruins will be ours in due time. Lay down your weapons now, and maybe if you're lucky you'll be made into slaves. Even better, the luckier ones can join the ranks of the Dragon Clan!"

Barius wasn't buying it.

"We would never join such scum as you! You'd have to kill us first!"

"In that case, we could arrange that. Right now."

Bomberman decided he had enough of this and couldn't go without opening his mouth in mockery toward the general.

"A few of your beloved warriors are actually lying behind the ruins. There isn't much left at all. Burning alive has to be a terrible way to go."

"What the hell are you rambling on about, boy?" The general yelled.

Even Barius was clueless as to what Bomberman was talking about.

"You don't believe me? That's fine. Send a couple of your men back there. Surely you have warriors brave enough to validate my claims." Bomberman continued.

The general beckoned to a couple warriors standing near Barius.

"You two. Move to the rear of the ruins and humor the pathetic little Bomber."

The two warriors obeyed their leader and disappeared behind the ruins. Silence abounded until the warriors emerged once again. They were both completely pale.

"Sir, I'm not sure how this happened, but it appears the Bomber is right in his claims." One of the warriors stammered.

"What did you do to my men?" The general bellowed to Bomberman.

"I did nothing! They were getting ready to kill me when one of them lit on fire! The other two eventually burned as well. Your guess is as good as mine."

The general began to quiver slightly. This was odd, since fear wasn't an emotion normally associated with the Dragon Clan. As the general began to look around, the sky suddenly lit up in a flash of red and orange. Before anyone could react, the general was snatched up by a blurred figure in red. As his screams faded away, the atmosphere began to grow steadily warmer. Soon, everyone was sweating profusely.

Without warning, random Dragon Clan warriors and generals began igniting. As the victims burned, the others began to panic. As the chaos ensued, the red figure appeared again. Hovering over the ruins, it became clear that he held the wounded general by the neck. As the heat and flames danced behind the figure, Bomberman and everyone on the ground were able to get a clear view of the figure. Bomberman was shocked.

Baelfael.

The Elemental Knight of fire hovered over the fiery madness below, the helpless general dangling precariously over the fire. Once the burning victims were reduced to skeletons, the flames died off. The surviving Dragon Clan warriors and generals stared up at Baelfael in sheer terror, unsure of his true intentions. His intentions became clear when he flung the helpless general to the ground. The general landed and bounced sickeningly before coming to rest beside one of the massive stone pillars dotting the ruins. His bones were shattered in several places, some protruding from his flesh.

Baelfael surveyed the carnage, satisfied at his work. He nodded once at Bomberman before zipping off into the distance. Soon, the sky returned to normal.

As Bomberman and the Elite Knights began cleaning up, the remaining warriors and generals surrendered willingly. They wanted nothing to do with the prospect of Baelfael returning. Barius approached Bomberman.

"I'm frankly shocked. I never thought I'd see the return of the Elemental Knights! What was he doing here?"

"I don't know. Apparently the situation is dire enough to warrant their attention." Bomberman replied.

"No matter. We need all the help we can get. This raises my curiosity as to whether or not the other Elemental Knights are in the Nebula. For all we know he could be the only one."

"There's no possible way. The Elemental Knights fight together. The others are surely somewhere in the Nebula. I'd bet everything on it."

"I certainly hope you're right, Bomberman. For now, we need to get the ruins cleaned up. It's time to get rid of the scum."

Barius walked over to the broken, dying general that Baelfael had flung to the ground. He plunged his sword into the general's chest before promptly removing it. As Bomberman surveyed the situation, he received a call from Nitros on his communicator.

"Bomberman! Is everyone alright? The Guard reported one hell of a commotion on Primus!" Nitros radioed in.

"All is well, Nitros. We were having some issues fighting the Dragon Clan, but the situation is bigger than we all originally thought. It appears the Elemental Knights have become aware of the Nebula's plight."

"The Elemental Knights?! Are you sure?"

"Baelfael was here. He incinerated over half the Dragon Clan squadron that was attacking the Ruins of Viridis. He's gone now, but he did some major damage."

"So the Elemental Knights have decided to move into the Nebula. This could escalate badly, Bomberman. Thankfully if what you say is true, they are here to help. We can't worry right now about the Elemental Knights. They are more than capable of taking care of things."

"I trust the Elemental Knights are watching over the Nebula as well as the Neutral Ring."

"I pray to Mihaele that you're right. Speaking of the Neutral Ring, are you ready to accompany the Guard to Thantos? We need information on a rescued Bomber being kept safe at the prison. He's from another planet, and he has some information we believe is linked to Gold 1."

"Then I'll be ready. Let me make sure everyone here can handle things ok. I'd say we can consider Primus secure. There's no way Baelfael will let anything more happen to this planet."

"Good to know. However, I feel I must tell you what's been happening in the Neutral Ring."

"I assure you I've kept the Neutral Ring a secret. I know the Guard doesn't want the public knowing too much about it for fear or increasing worry."

"We've always prided ourselves in protecting the Nebula at all costs. As you know the Neutral Ring consists of the seven planets the Astral Knights previously controlled. It's still colonized, but the Dragon Clan's ships have indeed begun to move out to create havoc there. They've demonstrated their power already, as Starlight and Epikyur have been all but reduced to rubble now."

"So THAT'S why there hasn't been activity around Mazone! They're moving in elsewhere!"

"Precisely. They're aiming for planets not controlled by the guard in hopes of having more influence there. We've begun to explore the Neutral Ring ourselves, as we have partial ownership of Thantos now. The prison planet is run by a separate agency working for nobody but themselves, but we pay them well to let us keep certain prisoners there as well. As far as the rest of the Neutral Ring goes, we have no idea what's been happening. Now that the Serene Region is secure, the Genesis can move out. The sooner you can accompany them to Thantos, the better."

"I'll move out immediately."

"Very good. Contact me when you reach Thantos safely. Nitros out."

Bomberman turned toward Barius.

"Do you all have everything under control?" He asked.

"Indeed. Baelfael sure saved our asses. We can handle things from here. Thank you for all of your help. Be sure to come back soon." Barius responded.

Bomberman saw Pommy with a few of the Knights. They were all surveying the aftermath of the fight.

"Pommy, did you maybe want to come to Thantos with me? Or are you ok here with the Knights?"

"I wish to remain here with the Princess. Things are ok now, but I want to make sure she'll be ok. Hopefully her nightmares will stop now."

"That's noble of you. Keep her safe Pommy. We'll be meeting again soon. I can already promise that."

As Bomberman parted with Pommy and the Elemental Knights, he was tempted to go back to the castle and say goodbye to the King and the Princess. However, he knew there was no time. The Guard would be moving out for the Neutral Ring sooner than later, and he needed to rendezvous with them as soon as possible. As he set out for Primus's airbase, he hoped Red and his team would be ok securing Kanatia.

One could only hope.


	6. Kanatia: A Disturbance

**Kanatia: A Disturbance**

Tremendous sand clouds were kicked into the arid atmosphere as the Guard ships touched down on Kanatia. The lead ship came to a complete stop, powering down the engines almost immediately so as to not throw more of the coarse sand into the air. The other ships followed suit, and soon all was quiet at the landing site.

The hatches roared open almost all at once, and the team of Guard Troopers stepped onto the dry surface of the planet. Red squinted against the sun, looking toward the direction of the main crystal mine. There was a slight breeze in the air, but it was a hot breeze and did nothing to provide relief from the heat. Thankfully, the troopers all sported specially cooled armor that made enduring the planet's harsh atmosphere no task at all.

As the squadron began moving in the direction of the mine, they found the paved road that lead straight into the mine. However, Red's thoughts interrupted him. Something wasn't feeling right.

"This is wrong. Where are the trucks? Where's the mining equipment?" Red thought to himself.

He cautioned his men to move slowly. As they followed the road, they stumbled upon an incredibly disturbing sight. One of the massive mining vehicles was overturned and ablaze. The troopers ran to it, hoping to find survivors. Oddly enough, there was nobody inside. Thankfully, it was either empty when it overturned or the occupants had escaped before it blew.

"Back down guys! The last thing we need is to be caught in an explosion." Red yelled out.

"Sir, what the hell is going on?" One of the troopers responded.

"Beats the hell out of me. Keep your weapons at the ready. We need to get the hell over to the mine!"

Red and the troopers began to run down the road toward the mine. They were suddenly halted by the site of some miners running toward them from the mine's entrance. One stumbled and fell right at Red's feet.

"RUN! For Mihaele's sake get the hell out of here!" He screamed.

"What in the hell is happening here?" Red yelled in response.

"The mine! There's something in the mine trying to kill everyone! We made it out but some of our men are still in there!"

The troopers all reacted by producing bombs, ready to throw them at anything not wearing mining armor. The miner at Red's feet appeared injured, his visor partly shattered. Blood trickled from his left arm. He stood up, and at once appeared to forget about his injuries once he glanced back at the mine.

"Dammit! The pits! We need to cover the pits! Those things are gonna come out here!"

"Pits? What pits?" Red questioned.

"We have large pits that travel directly into the mine from the surface. We use elevators to get down there, but it's easier to haul the crystals up through the pits using a crane. If we don't close those pits we're all dead!"

Some of the fleeing miners stopped, appearing to hear what the miner had yelled. They moved out toward the control panels near the pits. Massive steel doors over the pits began to close, sealing any possible escape route for whatever was lurking in the mines below. Once all the doors were shut one of the other miners reported in to the injured miner.

"Caro! The pits are sealed! Should we be trying to go about rescuing the other men down there?!" He asked.

"Did you remember to seal Pit 7 to the west?!" Caro responded.

"DAMMIT! Quick! Get to Pit 7!" The miner screamed.

The miners began to sprint toward Pit 7, with Red and the troopers in hot pursuit. As they arrived at the pit, one of the miners began to activate the doors over the pit. As they began to close, a massive hand made of stone reached out and grabbed onto one of the doors. With one heave, it tore the doors clean off the pit. Red and the troopers weren't going to back down. They readied their bombs.

The hand disappeared, and soon a mammoth stone beast emerged from the pit. It was made entirely of rocks, with huge arms and extremely stout legs. The body glowed with veins of magma, and the head sported two large, fiery eyes. The creature's mouth roared open, revealing a few jagged teeth. Magma oozed out of the gaping maw, the lethal saliva scorching the sand as it hit the ground.

"A golem! Where the hell did that come from? This mine's been clear of creatures like this for centuries!" Caro screamed.

"Steady guys! Prepare to attack on my orders!" Red called out.

"Don't! You don't have the manpower to fight something like this! Those bombs will only piss it off! We're all better off evacuating!"

No sooner than Caro gave his warning, more golems emerged from the pit. These were smaller; perhaps double the size of a Bomber. They too, oozed deadly magma from their pores. The golems stood silently, eyeing their prey with voracity.

"You guys can run, but we're staying. You can fight with us, or you can flee. Your choice." Red said with tension.

"To hell with it. Arm the charges men!" Caro yelled!

The miners armed their depth charges, and charged at the golems. Red and the troopers followed, throwing bombs wildly. They meant to kill the golems by any means possible. A couple of the smaller golems were eventually blown apart, but all the bombs did to the large one was slightly chip the monster's stone body.

This was going to be a hell of a fight.

Red moved his troopers to Pit 7. It was here that he felt they could get more leverage by distancing themselves from the monsters. It worked for a while, until two of the smaller golems noticed what the squadron was up to. They leapt over the pit and began throwing wild punches at the men. Some of the troopers were flung into the pit, while others were stricken to the ground where they stood. As the smaller golems moved toward Red and the remaining troopers, the ground began to shake.

"Watch it! It's another quake!" Caro shouted.

As the group tried to steady themselves on their feet, the two smaller golems threatening Red and his men were suddenly pulled into the Pit 7. Their shrieks got the larger golem's attention, and it sauntered over to the pit to investigate what happened to its comrades. As it peered into the pit, a sudden explosion of rock and sand surged out of the pit. What appeared to be bits of rock were in reality bits of the smaller golems. The head of one of the golems landed at the feet of the large one, and it backed away in what appeared to be a combination of fear and sadness over its fallen comrade.

As everyone tried to make sense of what they just saw, another large and rather imposing figure burst from the pit. Everyone stood in awe as the figure glanced menacingly at the large golem.

Molok was the Elemental Knight of Earth, and he took the golems' attack very personal. They were abusing earth power and trying to kill innocent people. Red stood frozen, wondering if he was truly seeing this.

"The elemental Knight of Earth! If Molok is here, that must mean the other Elemental Knights aren't too far away!" Red thought excitedly.

Without saying a word, Molok released an explosive beam of energy from his chest. It struck the larger golem, blowing it apart and leaving nothing left to the imagination. The smaller golems tried to flee, but Red and the troopers weren't having it.

"Move out men!" Red commanded.

The men began throwing bombs at the smaller golems. Explosion after explosion rang out, and eventually all that was left were bits of rock and sizzling puddles of magma. Molok looked down at Red and the miners.

"Your men are safe."

With that one proclamation, he flew off into the sky. As the troopers surveyed the carnage, Caro ran up to one of the intercoms located near the main elevator. He pushed the button frantically, trying to establish communication with the men below.

"Can anybody hear me?! Are there any survivors down there that can hear this?!" Caro yelled into the intercom.

The sound of the main elevator spooling up drew Caro's attention to the elevator's doors. Everyone watched tensely as the giant winch above the doors hoisted the elevator to the surface. As soon as the machinery stopped, the doors creaked open to reveal several miners as well as the troopers that had been flung into the pit. The troopers appeared to be slightly hurt, but it was shocking to see them alive with the fall they had taken. What was even more shocking was the fact that the group had three Dragon Clan members with them.

Red ran up to the group.

"Is everyone ok? What are these three Dragon Clan members doing here?" He asked one of the miners.

"We found them in a cave below. They were with this sorcerer and he was still chanting when we found them. Those creatures had to have been summoned by these criminals." The miner responded.

Red looked down at the three Dragon Clan members. The sorcerer was dying, an ironic victim of his own magic. Those golems didn't care who summoned them. They were out to kill, and it was apparent they had attacked these Dragon Clan members before breaking out to the surface. It was no matter, for Red intended to find out why in the hell these three summoned those golems.

"Speak up, Sorcerer! Why are you intruding on this planet? Speak up!" Red demanded.

"We must…fight…the onslaught…"The sorcerer trailed off before dying.

"Ok, do either of you wanna offer an explanation? Or are you guys gonna die on us too?"

One of the accomplices spoke up.

"We need to do everything possible to stop the Bombers from prospering. It's too much of a threat to our succeeding at ruling the Nebula!" The accomplice replied.

"You've failed. Kanatia will not fall, and it looks as if the Elemental Knights have taken offense to your intrusion in the Nebula."

"It's all for nothing. We must keep our master safe. Not even those pathetic Elemental Knights will be able to stop us!"

"You'll have plenty of time to think about it in prison. Thantos is perfect for scum like you."

The two accomplices were hauled off. Red walked up to the troopers that had come up in the elevator. He wanted to make sure they were ok.

"What happened down there? Is everyone ok?"

"We fell down that pit, but that big, stone Elemental Knight caught us. We have a few cuts and bruises but we're ok." The trooper responded.

"And what about the miners?"

"They found those Dragon Clan members shortly after the golems rampaged through our tunnel. We had all hid in a smaller tunnel, so thankfully they didn't see us. As soon as they broke through the surface, we knew things would get bad."

"Did Molok, that Elemental Knight, say anything to you?"

"He told us to wait by the elevator and we would be safe. He told those Dragon Clan members they would die for using dark magic on the sacred earth. Once the chaos up here subsided, we brought them to the surface."

"We'll head back to the ships soon. Those two scumbags are headed straight for Thantos. I'm going to report to Nitros so I can let him know we can consider this planet secure."

Red connected with Nitros through his communicator.

"Red, good to hear from you. Is everything ok on Kanatia?" Nitros inquired.

"We were attacked by golems summoned by a few Dragon Clan members. We were in a bad spot, but things changed when Molok showed up."

"So, Bomberman was right. The Elemental Knights are in the Nebula."

"Having them on our side is one hell of a pleasant surprise. I can tell you now that we can declare Kanatia secure. With Molok here, nobody is gonna mess with this planet."

"Good. Prepare to move out for Thantos. Bomberman and his team were also able to capture some Dragon Clan members on Primus. He will accompany your fleet to Thantos to transfer the prisoners. He has a mission on that planet as well, so stay sharp. The Genesis is prepared to move out for Gold 1, so I'd like both you and Bomberman's fleet to look out for any trouble along the way."

"Will do. Red out."

Red secured his men and prepared to lift off Kanatia. The Genesis was ready, and Red knew that all involved were hoping and praying for a safe voyage for the Genesis and its crew.

Time would tell.


	7. Genesis: Incidental Departure

**Genesis: Incidental Departure**

The massive ship's engines whined as they started up on Bomber Base's main landing pad. The lower decks of the ship were filled with Guard troops, strapped tightly into their seats. They anxiously awaited the departure, for they like everyone else were aching to see what secrets Gold 1 concealed. Up on the flight deck, the crew flipped switches and made adjustments on the instrument panels as they prepared to guide the massive ship into the heavens.

"Auxiliary Power Units are stable. Fuel flow complete. Preparing to spool up." The pilot in command, Bammer, relayed to his crew. The flight engineers monitored their vast array of dials as the pilot moved the throttles up. The Genesis's seven massive engines spooled up, and the pilot grabbed the collective lever next to his seat.

The ship lifted off the landing pad, heating up the environment around it with heated air from the engines. As the pilot used the collective to raise the ship higher, the Genesis reached its allotted departure altitude. The pilot released the collective lever and advanced the throttles forward. The mammoth craft moved ahead and up out of Bomber Base's airspace. The ship's engines glowed as their afterburners were powered on, and the Genesis rocketed toward the mysterious aura that Gold 1 had cast on the entire planet of Bomber.

Things were taking a turn for the worse, however. As the Genesis cleared Planet Bomber, an impressive fleet of Dragon warships were closing in. Dragon General Traho stood on the command deck of the lead ship as they closed in on the Genesis.

"Sir, should we take them down?" The pilot asked him.

"As much as I'd love to see the helpless saps die, it is imperative we try to take as many alive as we can. We will disable the ship, and board it quickly. Our master needs his food. Or he'll be angry with us."

The warships closed in, and it wasn't long before the crew aboard the Genesis saw them. The ship was a transport ship above anything else, and it was only equipped with a couple of plasma guns at each wingtip.

""Fire at will! I'm getting us the hell out of here!" Bammer yelled at his crew.

The ensuing cannon fire was able to take out a few of the ships, but the Genesis was quickly outnumbered by the Dragon fleet. The warships quickly took out both plasma cannons before moving toward the ship's rear. Soon, all seven engines were destroyed as well. The Genesis was dead in the water.

"Dammit! We're screwed!" Bammer yelled out frantically. He grabbed the phone that served as an intercom to the ship's lower decks.

"I want all troopers battle ready immediately! Loadmasters and deck officers take cover where you can!"

As the troopers on the lower decks prepared to fight the onslaught that was surely headed their way, the Dragon ships outside made their move. The crew of the Genesis could only watch helplessly as the Dragon ships released massive docking tubes. The tubes attached themselves to the sides of the ship and pressurized before boring holes into the hull. Almost at once large numbers of Dragon Clan warriors poured through the holes from the cables.

Deck Three was hit the hardest. The troopers there could only shoot so many Dragon Clan warriors before they were overtaken. The warriors made sure to only kill enough troopers to be able to overtake the group and keep most of them alive. The remaining troopers on Deck Three were taken hostage, their weapons confiscated. Deck Four contained only unarmed engineers and mechanics. Deck Two contained a few troopers, but that deck was mostly loadmasters watching over the ship's cargo. Deck one was easily overtaken, but the flight deck had not yet been compromised. That would all change soon.

The Genesis's crew watched in horror as the lead Dragon warship moved over the windshield. A loud crashing sound signaled the arrival of the docking tube. Suddenly, the screech of tearing metal filled the flight deck as hot sparks ran rampant. The crew dove for cover under their stations, and soon a large piece on the ship's hull fell from the wall onto one of the flight engineer's legs. He was pinned helplessly as General Traho emerged from the docking tube.

"So this is the ship I've been hearing about. You didn't bother putting up much of a fight at all, did you?" He barked.

"You must feel proud. Attacking a ship with hardly any defenses is impressive!" Bammer mocked in response.

"I see we have a wise ass in our company. Unfortunately we must do whatever we can to get food for our master. Once he wakes up he's gonna be grumpy. Grumpy and hungry."

"What master?! Why are you doing this?"

"The planet you're after is an undertaking we can't allow. Our master will save all of us from that evil place, and he'll get rid of those who are fundamentally weak."

"You kill us, and there will be more after us! You'll never stop the guard!"

"There's no need to kill you. At least not yet. You and the rest of the peasants aboard this ship will be coming with us back to our planet. You'll get to hear all about our plan for salvation once we get there."

Traho grabbed a radio from a holster on the side of his armor. He radioed one of his Sergeants deeper in the ship.

"Is the ship secure?" He inquired.

"Yes sir! All are subdued. We're ready to board back to Mazone now." The crackled response came.

Traho put the radio away.

"Shall we board?" He asked the hostages.

A few of the Dragon warriors helped lift the hull piece off the flight engineer's leg before helping him up. The flight crew were cuffed and forced toward the docking tube. As he entered the tube, Bammer could see that the dimly lit tube extended far into the Dragon warship. As they crawled up the tube, it seemed almost as if the space was getting tighter and tighter with each inch they traversed. Soon, they emerged on the cold metal main deck of the warship. More Dragon warriors were there to greet them. Traho emerged last.

"Secure the prisoners in the hold. Set a course for Mazone." He ordered.

"What about the ship?" The pilot asked him.

"Leave it. I'll send ships back for it later."

The Dragon warships disconnected their docking tubes and set a course for Mazone. The sudden loss of cabin pressure rocked the Genesis, and some of the bodies of the dead onboard exited the holes in the hull. As they floated aimlessly into space, Traho smiled at the good work his unit had done.

He had no idea how bad things would get for him and the rest of the Dragon Clan.


	8. Thantos: Prison Break

**Thantos: Prison Break**

Bomberman guided his ship through the darkness of space, keeping in formation with the Guard ships he was accompanying to Thantos. The Bomber he was looking for was being kept in a maximum security cell block for his own protection. The information he had was surely considered important to the Dragon Clan, so everyone had to be on their guard.

As soon as the ships reached the airspace around Thantos, Bomberman was reminded of his adventures on the planet. He was also reminded of the reasons Thantos was the perfect planet for a prison. It was dark, seedy, and incredibly dirty. The blackened alleys that dotted the shabby, graffiti dotted buildings helped add to the sinister aura the planet practically oozed at every seam. The ships landed without incident and powered their engines down almost immediately. The environment was hostile enough without the roar of plasma engines adding to it. As the prisoners were unloaded, Bomberman helped to oversee the transfer.

"Keep your men on those guys at all times. Nobody is left without cover." Bomberman commanded.

The prisoners were escorted to a small building on the outskirts of the main prison. The prison was located well away from the seedy cities that dotted the eastern half of the planet. The western half consisted of the prison as well as the headquarters for the justice system of Thantos. The two halves were separated by a barren, garbage laden field that spanned many miles. Bomberman could see the crude roads that cut through the garbage, and he could also see the beginnings of the cities far to the east.

He didn't have much time to contemplate his surroundings. As soon as the group reached the processing building, Dragon warships screamed overhead. Drop ships followed, and soon Dragon warriors were dispersed across the immediate area in the field. They advanced quickly, and began to attack the guards keeping watch over the prisoners. Bomberman joined the fray instantly, smartly throwing bombs where he knew no guards would be harmed. Soon, more Dragon warriors presented themselves, and some of them attacked the processing building. It wasn't long before the surviving guards were subdued. One of the dragon warriors spoke up.

"Keep them at bay! We'll advance into the prison slowly, taking out anyone we have to. We must free our brethren! We'll deal with these scumbags later!"

Never mind that the prison was most likely on complete lockdown. Never mind that the guards inside were most likely aware of the situation by now and were more than prepared. These Dragon warriors were determined to get inside and free the prisoners. Bomberman had to shake his head at the mentality. He could see two of the drop ships hovering overhead, seeming to keep an eye on the operation. He could also see the sky growing darker.

It wasn't unusual for periodic darkness to occur in the atmosphere around Thantos. The place exuded pure pollution, and it was the last place any sensible person would want to live. However, this particular darkness wasn't orthodox by any means. There was something else to it. The Dragon warriors noticed it too, for they had now frozen in their tracks. The drop ships rotated in mid air, seemingly wanting to view the oncoming wall of swirling black clouds. Bomberman grinned, for he had a feeling he knew exactly what was brewing. He faced this power before. And he faced it on Epikyur.

Without warning, the lead Dragon warrior was struck dead where he stood. Everyone had seen the massive lightning bolt that came out of the tempest in the sky. More of the bolts began hitting the drop ships, igniting a sizeable blaze wherever they made contact. The two ships fell toward the field, impacting the garbage with massive explosions as the result. Through the smoke that drifted over the prison, Bomberman could see a figure rising up from the roof of one of the buildings.

Zhael began striking down more Dragon warriors, while Bomberman began to throw more bombs. Soon all but a few of the Dragon warriors were dead. Zhael floated down toward Bomberman and grabbed his arm before he could throw another of the explosives.

"Leave them. At least some of them deserve to rot in that prison for the rest of their lives." She said.

Bomberman turned to face the Goddess of Storms.

"Stupid question, but I gotta ask how you knew this attack was coming. I've seen a few of you lately. I have to say, it's good to have you guys watching over us."

"Bomberman, you of all people should know by now that we know everything. And soon, you'll know more."

With that, Zhael zipped off into the heavens. Bomberman watched her vanish into the atmosphere, and he and the remaining guards rounded up the surviving prisoners. The prisoners were more than happy to comply, as they wanted no part of Zhael returning to finish the battle.

They made their way into the prison, and the guards inside did indeed have the place on lockdown. The warden, a Bomber named Gorad, was there to supervise things. He recognized Bomberman and approached to shake his hand.

"Excellent work out there. Nitros has told me of your heroism throughout the Nebula. We're honored to have you here. My apologies for the uhh, shabby environment we live in here." Gorad greeted.

"Thanks for the kind words. And I have serious doubts that this place was built for the sole purpose of comfort and luxury."

"Good point. Nitros told me you're here to pick up a Bomber we rescued."

"That's why I'm here. Where'd you guys find him?"

"He was in the custody of the Dragon Clan. My ships caught a warship leaving Neverland, so we accosted it without any trouble at all. We found him shackled in the ship's hold, so we assume he was kidnapped for ransom. We brought them all here, and have been keeping him safe in maximum security."

"Can you take me to him?"

"Certainly. Follow me."

Bomberman followed Gorad through a steel door and down an incredibly long hallway. They boarded an elevator and took it several stories below ground. When they arrived, they went through another security checkpoint and soon arrived at the man's cell.

He was definitely a Neverland native. He wore a wooden mask and a grass skirt. He sported crude sandals as well as several charms and necklaces. He approached the bars.

"Are you the one here to take me home?" He inquired.

"I am. What's your name?" Bomberman responded.

"I'm Niklo. Come from a tribe that lives in the jungles on Neverland's surface. I fear my people are in danger even as we speak."

Niklo was let out of his cell and accompanied Bomberman and Gorad to the elevator. As they ascended, they had a chance to speak more.

"Why were you kidnapped by the Dragon Clan? Did they want you for something?" Bomberman asked.

"They've been after our precious artifact for a while now. We found it, and it's so incredible it has to have come from some kind of God."

"Will you show me?"

"When we get back to Neverland, my tribe and I will show you. Maybe we can figure out where it came from."

The elevator doors opened and Bomberman contacted Nitros. To Bomberman's surprise Nitros already heard about the uproar on Thantos. However, he had more disturbing news for Bomberman.

"Bomberman, the Genesis was attacked. There were fatalities, and the voice recorder on the flight deck indicates all the survivors were taken hostage."

"WHAT?! What do we need to do? Do I need to move out now?"

"No, the Guard will handle this. Now it's become personal. We'll rescue the hostages. I trust you've found the Bomber we've been looking for?"

"He's with me now. Should we head for Neverland?"

"Interrogate any survivors. Find out what you can about their reasons for attacking that planet. Then, make haste to Neverland." He ordered. With that, the short transmission ended.

Bomberman approached one of the Dragon warriors, and the criminal wilted before him.

"Why'd you show up here? Any smart criminal would avoid the hell out of this place."

"Look, I just followed orders, ok? Traho sent us to rescue our imprisoned comrades. And to hopefully get back that native we captured from Neverland."

"What did you want him for?"

"They have an artifact we believe came from that damned gold planet. We need it to help us get closer to destroying it. The more we find out about it, the easier it will be to figure out how to get rid of it. We hoped they would trade the artifact for one of their own."

"What makes you so fearful of a simple planet? Its just there, not bothering anyone."

"Look, they didn't tell us much. All they told us was that they got a transmission from it, and it was threatening. Of course, us underlings aren't privileged enough to have permission to hear that kind of thing for ourselves, so we have to take their word for it."

"Threatening?'

"They wouldn't tell us what it said. They just said it was sinister and we need to get rid of that planet as soon as we can."

Bomberman turned to the guards.

"That's all the information I need. We'll be leaving as soon as possible."

The warrior was lead off to the cell blocks, and Bomberman and Niklo stepped into the cool air outside. Smoke still hung in the air from the drop ship crashes, but emergency squads were already on the scene. Bomberman doubted anyone could have survived that. As he and Niklo made their way to Bomberman's ship, Bomberman couldn't help but feel excitement at the prospect of discovering just what it was that the tribes on Neverland had in their possession.


	9. Genesis: Hostile Defense

**Genesis: Hostile Defense**

The massive fleet of Dragon ships moved toward the crippled Genesis. The ship was a total mess. Holes remained where the docking cables had done their damage. Each of the seven engines was either blown completely off the fuselage, or hanging precariously by the damaged fuel lines that once provided power to their fan blades. Scorch marks remained where the Dragon warships licked the hull with lethal gunfire, and the body of a deceased loadmaster still lingered by one of the jagged holes left by an intrusive boarding cable near what was left of the flight deck. Space debris floated nearby, a somber reminder of the attack that had taken place just hours ago.

"Watch the debris. We can't afford to lose even one ship here. Traho has demanded we bring the ship back to Mazone as intact as possible." The lead pilot radioed to his fleet.

As the ships closed in, the fleet divided into two formations. One moved to secure the rear of the Genesis, and the other flanked the front of the damaged vessel. The warships began firing harpoon cables into the hull with the distinct purpose of towing the ship back to their home planet and harvesting what technology they could salvage from the four decks. As they began to slowly drag the ship away, the lead pilot gave out instructions over the radio.

"Steady. B team, swing the aft section of the ship around behind us. Then you can detach and meet back with us up here. We'll all tow it from the front as soon as we can get it clear of the debris field."

As the fleet at the rear of the ship began to swing the vessel around, a beam of energy obliterated ten of them instantly.

"What the hell was that? B team, do you copy?!" The lead pilot screamed in terror.

His call over the radio garnered nothing but screams in response. He detached his ship from the Genesis, his entire fleet following. When they maneuvered their ships up and over the Genesis, what they saw chilled their blood.

Smoldering Dragon warships floated helplessly away from the Genesis, the pilots dead from the blasts. As the rear fleet moved to regroup, two large spacecraft could be seen approaching in the distance. No details could be made out, save for the fact that they were much larger than the Genesis. They were disc shaped, and appeared to have mammoth searchlights casting the entire Dragon warship fleet in blinding white light.

"Fire at will! Destroy them before they can destroy that ship!" The lead pilot shouted into his headset.

The Dragon warships began firing recklessly at the two approaching spacecraft. However, their efforts were completely futile. Each ship had a barrier surrounding it that was only visible when weapon fire made contact with it. The barriers were golden, and shimmered every time gunfire hit them. The gunfire bounced off, and was occasionally reflected right back into a few of the Dragon warships. It wasn't long before another energy beam wiped out more of the attacking warships. Soon, the lead pilot had no choice but to get his men out of there.

"Retreat! Forget the ship! Get away from those things!" He screamed.

His men had no trouble following as he blasted away from the Genesis and its protectors. He worried about the ancient looking spacecraft catching up to what was left of his fleet and finishing them off. He didn't want to say anymore. His main focus was getting his men out safe, not scaring them with horrendous scenarios he feared would most likely happen. The ships were big, and he knew they would probably have no trouble chasing them down.

The spacecraft, however, did not move out to pursue the Dragon fleet. Instead, they hovered over the Genesis, watching out for any other dragon ships that may try to come back for round two. That wasn't an issue, for the Dragon fleet had gotten the message and wanted no part of the amazing firepower the spacecraft had in their possession.

The spacecraft had more than enough power to wipe out the entire Dragon Clan dynasty on their own, but they would wait. There were bigger fish to fry, and they would be fried in true style.

Their time would come. The Nebula would soon witness the true power of Gold 1.


	10. Neverland: Sacred Worship

**Neverland: Sacred Worship**

Bomberman's ship raced from Thantos, heading to Neverland. He actually looked forward to seeing the nature planet again. His past adventures there took him to the dark, hot underworld that surrounded the planet's core. Now he would get to see the wondrous jungles that made up the planet's surface, as well as meet more of the people that inhabited the lush landscape.

"This artifact your people have, where exactly did you find it?" Bomberman inquired.

"Not too long after the war between the Astral Knights and the Nebula, it fell from the sky into a clearing near my village. We dug it from the earth and now we have it under close guard in the village."

"It's really important to your people. I can tell by how excited you are at the mere mention of it."

"It's brought my people joy, but unfortunately it's also brought us pain. The damned Dragon Clan keeps trying to make off with it. We've been able to hold most of them off, but I fear soon they'll send in more warriors than we can handle."

"We'll see about that. When we land I'll get to the bottom of what exactly we're all facing with this artifact."

As the ship passed Epikyur, Bomberman and Niklo could see that the planet was clearly in ruins. No longer the amusement wonderland it used to be, thick smoke rose from the smoldering surface. All that could be discerned on the planet's surface was the ominous orange glow from the many fires still burning down there.

Seeing the fire triggered a memory deep within Bomberman's mind. He remembered fighting Orion on Red Mountain. He remembered the heat and the acrid smell of sulfur as he fought the massive mining machine Orion was in possession of. He remembered everything. He recalled how the high heat levels caused his bombs to explode almost the minute they were thrown. He remembered seeing the being in green armor charging at him.

Orion's origin was impressive. Bomberman recalled the survivors on Red Mountain telling him how successful Orion had been prior to Altair's invasion. Orion had been the head foreman at the mines on Kanatia. He had developed his armor to cope with the intense heat deep in the mines. Once Altair had cast his influence upon him, it was too late to save his soul. Altair had apparently planned to build more of those mining machines and use them as weaponry. Bomberman had no choice but to take Orion out. The armored suits the miners currently used on Kanatia were developed based on his original prototype. It was an impressive legacy.

Bomberman remembered Artemis as well. He didn't know much about her at first, but then he had come to find out she was Orion's sister. She had a brilliant mind, but was at times reckless and lacked the proper control. Altair had stumbled upon them both, and knowing about their influence and success on Kanatia, he was able to take control of their minds and add them to his ranks of impressive fighters.

Niklo's voice snapped Bomberman out of his daydream.

"Bomberman! It looks like we've arrived at Neverland!" He said excitedly.

Bomberman gathered his wits and looked through the windshield at the approaching planet. He could clearly see the lush, green thicket that covered most of the planet. He spotted a clearing that was perfect to land in. It was large enough that he knew the engine blast wouldn't affect the vegetation in the jungles.

He carefully guided the ship in and set it down. Once the engines were powered off and the dust settled, Bomberman opened the hatch and he and Niklo stepped out into the sun-drenched clearing.

"I'll lead you to my people. We must tread carefully. There is a lot of sacred ground in the jungles." Niklo warned.

Bomberman followed him into the dense jungle and down a winding path that cut through the lush canopy. After about an hour of walking, they reached the first of many huts that comprised Niklo's village. At once a large group of natives emerged, excited to see Niklo safe.

"Niklo! You're alive!" One of them shouted.

"We thought those evil beings had killed you!" Another exclaimed.

"They would have, if it wasn't for Bomberman's friends. They saved me and kept me safe. Bomberman here is the one that brought me home."

The natives were tremendously grateful to Bomberman for bringing Niklo home safe. Bomberman was taken into the village and given food and water as thanks. As he got to know the tribe, he became impressed with how close knit the entire tribe actually was. They cared for each other in a way not many beings on other planets would care for each other. Soon however, it was time to get down to business. The group lead Bomberman to a large plaza area surrounded by huts. A withered shaman by the name of Ohano stood before a life sized statue of what appeared to be an angelic figure.

"Ohano, this is Bomberman. He says he may know where our sacred artifact came from." Niklo introduced his guest.

Ohano turned to face Bomberman, his aged face showing signs of exhaustion.

"Welcome Bomberman. Please, feel free to examine our artifact as you wish. It will heal any wounds you may have."

"I appreciate the gesture. I actually have an idea of where this may have come from. The group I belong to thinks it could be linked to a planet that was recently discovered outside the Nebula."

"Is this by chance the golden moon you speak of?"

"It is. We call it Gold 1, but we have no idea what secrets it may hold or where it even came from. We tried to send a ship out there but the Dragon Clan attacked it and took some of our men hostage."

"Those Dragon people are nothing but evil. They've been trying to take our treasure. We've done what we can to hold them off, but I fear they will eventually win."

"Niklo was saying this thing fell from the sky?"

"Indeed. Once we found it, we found that it gives me incredible healing powers. It has helped us evolve as a tribe, and it has brought us joy and success. We can't afford to have it stolen, but the strenuous guarding we've had to do is wearing all of us down."

"I can provide extra protection for your planet. Let me contact my commander."

Bomberman used his communicator to contact Nitros. He answered almost immediately, expecting Bomberman's call.

"What's the status update, Bomberman? Did you get our man home safe?" He inquired.

"I'm on Neverland now, and he's safe. I was hoping to ask for a favor. These poor people can't keep up with guarding against the constant Dragon Clan attacks. Is there any possibility we can get some Guard protection for Neverland?"

"Actually, I have a unit leaving Aquanet now. I'll send them to Neverland and have them stage out there."

"The Guard was at Aquanet?"

"We had to send a unit there on an emergency mission. The Aquanet Coastal Patrol reported that a meteor impacted the ocean just off the western coast. The city of Unda is reporting casualties as well as Dragon activity in the waters off the shore."

"I'll head to Aquanet when I leave here, and I'll assist in any way I can."

"Just watch out for yourself. The city is a mess, and I can't think of any reason the Dragon Clan would have to be there. Something doesn't feel right."

"I'll keep an eye out. Thanks for granting Neverland extra protection. I'll talk to you when I get to Aquanet. Bomberman out."

Bomberman spun around and saw the concerned faces of the tribesmen, most noticeably the look on Ohano's face.

"So it is happening on other planets now. The Dragon people are taking over the Nebula…" He trailed off.

Ohano froze with fear. The trees around the clearing rustled.

"They're back…" He whispered with terror in his quivering voice.

Suddenly, at least forty Dragon Clan warriors stepped out of the jungle into the clearing. There was nowhere to go. Bomberman and the tribe were surrounded.

"Hand over the statue, or you will all die!" One of them yelled.

"I've used my bombs on your kind before, and I'll use them right now. Who wants to be the lucky first customer?" Bomberman retorted, producing a bomb.

Before he could throw it, a scream rang out from the jungle. Not long after, a terrified Dragon warrior ran into the clearing from the jungle in pure hysterics.

"There's something in there! Some kind of crazy woman shooting balls of light! She killed my entire unit!" He screamed.

"WHAT?! Something is killing our men?! Forget the statue for now. We need to get the hell back to the ships!" The head warrior shrieked.

Without warning, lethal balls of light began incinerating some of the Dragon warriors in the clearing. Bomberman lobbed bombs at some of them, but the survivors fled in horror. As soon as they were gone, Ohano spoke up.

"That must have been the sacred light spirit in the jungle. She showed up a few days ago, and we have no idea where she came from or why she's here."

Bomberman looked up just in time to see Zoniha flying off into the sunset. He had to smile at her presence.

"We'll escort you back to your ship. I thank you once again for returning Niklo safely to us." Ohano softly said.

As they walked through the jungle back to Bomberman's ship, Bomberman had an uneasy feeling about Aquanet. He felt uneasy in general. The Dragon Clan was stepping up their presence everywhere. This could only mean something big was on the horizon.

He prayed his feelings were wrong.


	11. Horizon: Sinister Plot

**Horizon: Sinister Plot**

Bomberman screamed by Game Planet Starlight in his ship. The results of the Dragon Clan threat were not pretty. Much like Epikyur, clouds of dense acrid smoke rose over what was once a flourishing entertainment core. He remembered his times on the planet. He had always expressed interest in returning. Now however, the thought would have to be put on hold. Maybe permanently.

As he neared the Sky Planet Horizon, Dragon ships immediately moved in on him. They flanked him on both sides, as well as in front and behind him. A sinister voice crackled over his radio.

"Attention unidentified vessel. You are infringing on top secret Dragon activities. Please turn around and go back the way you came."

This was ridiculous. If Bomberman turned around, it would take him forever to loop around the Nebula to get to where he needed to go.

"Look, I'm just passing through on my way home. I'll even pull farther away from the planet if you like." Bomberman said, attempting to appease his pursuers.

"Negative. Stand down or we will be forced to take offensive action."

Bomberman decided to beat them to it. With a squeeze of a trigger the lead Dragon ship was destroyed.

"I really wish I didn't have to do this." Bomberman muttered to himself.

He began evasive maneuvers in an attempt to quickly get out of Horizon's airspace. Soon however, more Dragon ships showed up. He was able to destroy a couple more of them before his left wing was hit. He was losing control and the ship began sinking into Horizon's atmosphere.

"Dammit. Figures. I'd best find a good place to put her down."

He could soon see the surface, and soon spotted a clearing that looked big enough to ditch the ship in. He swung around and sunk into the trees in order to make his pursuers think he crashed in the forest somewhere. He made a successful hard landing in the clearing and immediately left his ship for fear it would explode. As the Dragon ships passed overhead and disappeared into the horizon, Bomberman heard a voice of concern.

"You ok?! Are you hurt?"

He turned to see a concerned Bomber in a hardhat and overalls rushing toward him. There was several more Bombers right behind him.

"Me? I'm ok. I don't think my ship is long for this world though." Bomberman replied.

The worker approached the ship as smoke and steam rose up from under the engine cowlings.

"Aw hell, we can probably fix this. It's what we do. Well, it's what we DID." The worker sadly said.

"What do you mean?" Bomberman inquired.

"My name is Wordan. My workers and I used to work in Horizon's main factory building and repairing ships. That is, until the damned Dragon Clan swooped in and took the place over. They booted us and our equipment out. We've set up shop in one of the outbuildings. It's just across the clearing hidden in the forest."

"The Dragon Clan evicted you guys?!"

"Yeah. But we can at least be thankful they didn't kill us. That's one of their favorite pastimes."

"Do you know why they took the factory? They have to be up to no good."

"A few of our guys have been spying periodically on the Dragon Clan. From what we know, they're working on a newer more powerful ship. They wanna reach some place they call Gold 1."

"I knew it! I'm not gonna let them get any further in their plans. They shot me down and they're the reason I'm on this damn rock to begin with. I'm going to the factory. They won't build any ship while I'm around."

"We won't stop you. But know that there are tons of them there. You won't be able to do it alone."

"I'll try whatever I can. I've already been in some skirmishes with them, so I know how they operate."

"We appreciate your passion about this, but I won't let you go alone. I'll go with and we'll bring a couple of my guys with us. The rest will tend to your ship. Besides, I know the quickest and most efficient way into that factory."

"I appreciate it. I've just seen too much already to allow them to succeed at anything."

"It's settled. We'll move out. We'll take that damned factory back and get these Bombers their livelihood back."

As Bomberman and Wordan moved out with a few accompanying workers, they had no way of knowing just how brutal the path ahead lay.


	12. Mazone: Hostage Crisis

**Mazone: Hostage Crisis**

The harsh, bitter wind blew across Mazone's surface as the Dragon transport touched down in the snow. The hatch roared open, and General Traho stepped out. Clad in his protective heated armor, he surveyed the landscape before him. It was bitter indeed. Thankfully, they would be using one of the many secret tunnels under Mazone's surface in order to reach the main base.

"Move them out! We'll be at the base in no time." Traho ordered his troops.

One by one the hostages were offloaded from the transport. Wrapped in protective blankets to shield them from the cold, they were marched from the transport to a massive frozen boulder jammed into the side of one of Mazone's many mountains. Traho lifted a panel to reveal a keypad. Typing a code in, the boulder slid to the right exposing a deep, lighted tunnel. The hostages were forced into the tunnel and they began marching deep into the mountain. The boulder slid shut behind them all.

They marched deeper into the tunnel until they reached a metal door. Traho typed in another code and the door opened to reveal a tremendously long escalator. The hostages boarded the wide escalator, each accompanied by a Dragon Warrior. As they passed up through the stone tunnel, they could see markings left by the warriors. Pictures of dragons and people being eaten foreshadowed their greatest fears. After what seemed like hours but really was only a few minutes, they arrived at the top of the escalator.

After passing through another metal door, they arrived at what appeared to be a huge platform mounted on rails that lead deeper into the mountain. The hostages were forced onto the platform and Traho shut a gate behind them. One of the Dragon Warriors pushed buttons on a control panel and the platform began to accelerate down the tracks. Huge headlights attached to the transport lit the tunnel as they moved onward. Soon the platform began ascending an incline, moving up through the mountain and seeming to accelerate faster with each push. Just when the ride was at the peak of its terrifying voyage, the platform leveled off and slowed to a stop. The hostages were offloaded and marched through yet another tunnel. Soon they emerged outside in a huge base.

Large buildings built into the sides of the mountains dominated the landscape. Smaller buildings and tents littered the ground. A mammoth green bubble encapsulated the base, providing warmth and shelter from Mazone's harsh elements. The hostages were lead to a series of large, overstuffed mats on the ground. They were forced to sit as Traho stood before them. Behind him stood a large speaker attached to a control panel.

"I suppose I should explain to you all why you're here and what we're doing on Mazone. You see, we've been moving to take over the Nebula for a very long time. Those damned Bomber Guard soldiers are always in our way, and as powerful as our clan is we simply can't do it on our own. On top of that, we got this transmission."

Traho punched some buttons on the control panel and the speaker crackled. Almost at once a voice with a sinister undertone emerged. The message was simple.

"Flee or perish."

Once the recording stopped there was silence. Soon, Traho spoke up again.

"As you can see, the transmission was threatening indeed. We traced it back to the golden moon that appeared in the far reaches of the Nebula. We believe that moon has a sinister secret, and we must destroy it immediately. Nothing can stand in the way of the greater plan, and we must eliminate anything and everything we view to be a threat."

Traho moved to the right and gestured toward one of Mazone's incredibly huge mountains.

"That's Mount Arctur. Our great leader resides there, and soon He will be awakened. Like I said, we can't take over the Nebula on our own. We need help and guidance. That's why we're gonna resurrect our leader and march on to world domination. Titus. The Great Ice Dragon. He will be most pleased with our efforts. Our great Shaman, Dracomas, has taken the Space Station Garadan into space to search for the one entity that can bring Titus back to us. Once he returns, our master will rise again. And he'll be hungry. All of you are gonna be sacrificed as food. He'll need it."

The horror in the air was so thick none of the hostages could utter a sound.

"Take the prisoners and lock them up inside. We'll await Dracomas's return." Traho ordered his troops.

As the hostages were lead into the Base, Traho looked out into space with a satisfied disposition. The plans were going perfectly. Unfortunately for Traho, he had no idea the Bomber Elite Guard was moving to secure Mazone's airspace. The massive ships moved in, completely undetected.

All hell would break loose very soon.


	13. Horizon: The Liberation

**Horizon: The Liberation**

Bomberman crept silently through the brush dotting the right side of the massive factory. He knew that once inside he would face immensely organized Dragon resistance. He prepared a bomb and entered the factory through a nearby ventilation hatch.

His eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness, but once they did he could almost clearly see the ventilation duct leading straight ahead before branching off left and right. He moved swiftly but silently due to the fear that somebody above or below might hear him. He decided on a whim to head right and he ended up crawling over a long series of vents that he could clearly see down through. As he crawled he spied Dragon Warriors diligently working on what appeared to be engine parts. To his horror Bomberman could also see workers in chains being forced to work as well. One poor girl in particular grabbed his attention. She was pretty, and her blue eyes showed the pain and fear associated with being held hostage by the Dragon Clan. One of the soldiers yelled harshly at her.

"Pick up the slack! NOW! Or we'll throw you in the incinerator like we did the others!"

They had incinerated other Bombers?! Bomberman knew this had to stop, but he also knew he had to be strategic about it. If he went in careless, needless casualties may occur. He continued crawling through the duct and finally spied an area where the duct went downward. He braced himself using his hands and feet and carefully and quietly began to shimmy down the duct. He came to rest at the bottom and spied a vent that could be opened. He peered through it and saw nobody. He cautiously lifted the vent open and entered the room. Equipment sat everywhere, including what appeared to be ancient propellers from older ships. As Bomberman crept toward a metal door on the far side of the room, he could hear voices.

The door was cracked, and he could see several Dragon Clan members relaxing on the other side. The room looked to be a makeshift break room, and there didn't appear to be any hostages inside. If there was a good time to start the offensive and get the upper hand, now was the time. Bomberman lobbed a bomb through the door.

He could hear puzzled mumbling followed by panic that signaled the realization that all was not well. Soon an explosion followed, and then all was silent. As the smoke and dust cleared, Bomberman could see that nobody was left alive. He could make out the sounds of an alarm going off in the distance. Surely the Dragon Clan was now aware of his intruding presence in the factory. Things were about to get a lot harder fast.

As he made his way into a nearby corridor, Bomberman could see more Dragon Clan warriors charging at him. An announcement over the loudspeakers confirmed that the Dragon Clan indeed knew something was up.

"Attention. Emergency. Unauthorized intrusion in Sector Five. Secure all hostages in the holding cells. Attention."

Bomberman lobbed bombs while avoiding the sharpened projectile weapons the Dragon Warriors were trying to use against him. As the bodies fell, he ducked into another nearby doorway. Without hesitation he sprinted up a metal staircase and emerged on a balcony overlooking the main hangar. He spied the ship in question, but was quickly overtaken by Dragon Warriors. A few bombs later and he was able to make his way closer to the ship. However, he still couldn't get down to the main platform.

"Dammit, how the hell am I gonna get down there? There has to be a way." Bomberman muttered to himself in frustration.

Soon he was chased through another doorway and down yet another set of metal stairs. He encountered a room full of hostages and a locked door. There was no escape and soon he and the hostages were siezed and taken through the door to the main platform. They could see the ship straight ahead of them. Bomberman felt dejected, as he had tried his best to save these people. Suddenly, a large Dragon Warrior appeared near the ship. His voice boomed throughout the hangar.

"Fools! I commend your effort to put an end to our little operation, but like most other peasants you've failed miserably. I have nothing more to say to you scum! Throw them all in the incinerator!"

No sooner than the command was given, the entire factory began to tremble. Bomberman was still held tightly by the two Dragon Warriors that had acosted him, but their grip loosened considerably. Bomberman was able to slip away with virtually no resistance, as every Dragon Warrior and hostage in the building was left wondering what was causing the earthquake. The main hangar had no real ceiling to speak of due to the fact that Horizon had generally nice weather year round. The factory walls protected the workers from the winds, so a ceiling wasn't really needed. It was through this ceiling that the source of the earthquake was dramatically revealed to everyone.

One of the massive ancient spacecraft came into view over the factory. It was a massive disc covered in what initially appeared to be veins. Upon closer inspection, Bomberman could see something coursing through the veins. He soon realized it was electricity or some kind of power supplying material. The way it coursed through the veins made it look as if the entire ship was shimmering. Large membranes on the ship's underside parted to reveal searchlights that illuminated the entire hangar. The light was bright Bomberman and the hostages had trouble seeing. As his eyes adjusted, Bomberman saw the Dragon Warrior in front of him get vaporized.

Bomberman and the hostages dove for cover as the ancient spacecraft began shooting at the Dragon Clan Warriors in the hangar. After a bit of carnage it stopped, continuing to hover as it turned off the searchlights. There was a brief moment of calm until a mammoth tornado suddenly blew in and began tearing the Dragon Clan ship apart. Bomberman struggled to stay low in the wind. He looked ahead to find the pretty girl from earlier trying to hold herself steady in the wind. He quickly crawled toward her and he and another hostage helped to hold the girl down. Soon the wind calmed and Bomberman could see that the Dragon Clan's ship had been completely obliterated.

That wasn't all he saw. Hovering just below one of the massive girders that spanned the open roof was Ashtarth. He stared silently down at the injured Dragon Warriors until the big Dragon Clan Warrior spoke up again.

"Please! Please don't hurt us. Look, we'll give the factory back, ok? We'll give it back and we'll clear out of Horizon!"

Ashtarth wasn't amused.

"You're kind have repeatedly sinned against the Nebula and the Elemental Knights. There will be no penance." Ashtarth responded coldly.

At once the Dragon Clan Warriors were snatched up and blown away by another tornado. As the hostages began to pick themselves up, Ashtarth spoke up again.

"You did good White. You distracted them long enough for us to get here in a timely fashion. I'll get you back to your ship. Don't worry about these people. I'll make sure they're cared for."

Before Bomberman could respond, another tornado snatched him up and promptly spirited him away from the factory. As the surface of Horizon whisked by underneath him, he was thankful the Elemental Knights were in the Nebula helping to set things right little by little. Soon, the tornado gently placed him down by his ship in the clearing. The workers were in awe.

"Was that the Elemental Knight of Wind? Did he save our factory?" A worker asked Bomberman.

"He did. The Dragon Clan invaders are all dead. I think your planet is gonna be just fine."

"So is your ship. There was slight damage to the right engine and it caused a bit of an oil leak which led to a clogged filter. All is well and she should fly like new."

"I appreciate all the help guys. You should be back working in the factory very soon."

As the workers began to gather their things and head back toward the factory, Bomberman realized in all of the chaos that he left his communicator in his ship. He rushed into the ship and immediately contacted Nitros.

"Bomberman! Where have you been? You alright?" Nitros asked worriedly.

"I was on my way to Aquanet when I got shot down over Horizon. I accidentally left the damn communicator in my ship. Sorry Nitros."

"It's ok, just glad to hear you're alive. Everything ok on Horizon?"

"The Dragon Clan was using the main factory here to build a ship so they can reach Gold 1. I managed to infiltrate and distract them long enough for Ashtarth to arrive and liberate the factory."

"The Elemental Knights are increasing their presence thankfully. We've seen some interesting looking spacecraft lurking out there as well."

"One showed up here and helped Ashtarth wipe the bastards out. They're obviously on our side."

"All the better for us. If you're able to, get to Aquanet as quickly as you can. And good work out there Bomberman."

Nitros ended the transmission, and Bomberman powered his engines on. It was good to hear his ship purring like normal again, and he lifted off on a course to Aquanet.


	14. Garadan: The Find

**Garadan: The Find**

The Space Station Garadan glided fluidly through space, eventually reaching a large asteroid field. Inside Garadan's control room, High Shaman Dracomas stood motionless. Feeding off a mysterious energy source deep inside the field, he turned to Garadan's pilot.

"See if you can maneuver this thing near those larger asteroids to the west. I can feel it getting stronger. He's calling out to us." Dracomas ordered.

The crew carefully steered Garadan between two large asteroids, one narrowly missing the space station's bulky hull. Dracomas hardly flinched. He had seen many more perilous situations that this particular flight couldn't even hope to rival. No, he was much more focused on the waves of psychic energy he was receiving from deep inside the immensely deep asteroid field. As Garadan ventured deeper into the sea of rocks, Dracomas spied the large asteroid they had been searching for.

"Pull closer to that bigger rock over there. I can feel his voice now. It's radiating from within that rock." Dracomas commanded his crew.

As Garadan pulled up alongside the large asteroid, Dracomas and the crew could see a blackened object barely jutting out from the side of the large rock. Yes, this is surely what they had been seeking. Dracomas could feel the energy. He fed off the waves, listening to the voice within calling his name.

"Prepare the drill and crane. This is it. This is what we came to find."

A large robotic arm with a drill moved out toward the asteroid. It carefully began to chisel away at the rock around the object. As the pieces fell off the asteroid and floated into the empty darkness of space, the mysterious artifact's details began to slowly emerge from within. The slick, black object looked to be the same consistency of obsidian, with strange markings dotting the surface. It appeared to be a language not of the Nebula. It was ancient enough that it was painfully apparent the object had been sealed within the asteroid for a very long time.

As the drill lumbered to the other side of the object to begin chiseling the rest of the asteroid away, Dracomas moved to one of the massive windows in Garadan's control room.

"Yes. This is it. He is within. I can feel it even more now. We must get it inside as soon as possible."

The drill finished its work and almost immediately a large claw was on hand to grasp the object and haul it toward Garadan. A large airlock opened and the object was pulled inside. Dracomas hurried through an automatic metal door and into the large hangar bay the object had been brought into.

Dracomas touched the object lightly. It could finally be clearly seen for what it was. It was oval shaped, and it was taller than Dracomas. It was much taller. The ancient markings covered literally every inch of the smooth black surface. It produced an extremely sinister vibe, one that most would be repelled by. Not Dracomas. He fed off the energy, and it confirmed to him that he had found what he had come for.

"Yes. This is truly the beginning of our reign over the Nebula. Once the resurrection is complete, nothing will stop us."

He turned to the lone Dragon guard in the bay with him.

"Fetch my tome. I want to begin immediately."

The Dragon guard left promptly, leaving Dracomas to admire the sinister artifact.


	15. Aquanet: Deep Sea Recovery

**Aquanet: Deep Sea Recovery**

As Bomberman landed his ship on Aquanet's Pad 6, the damage from the meteor could be immediately seen. The main coastal city of Unda was in major distress. As soon as he exited his ship, a member of the Aquanet Coastal Patrol was there to greet him.

"First Admiral Rivos. I'm here to escort you to into the city."

"Pleasure's all mine. How the hell big was this object? It looks as if something the size of a moon hit here!" Bomberman exclaimed.

"No moon sir. The few surviving witnesses claim the object didn't look very big at all. As you can see however, it hit with pretty tremendous force out there. We have ships moving to secure the area as we speak. We have a bigger issue at hand, unfortunately."

"Are there recovery efforts happening?"

"Yes sir. We were told to expect you. Most of our units are located further in the city helping dig people out of the rubble. We're not sure what exactly has happened, but we've got a bad feeling."

"I have a feeling the Dragon Clan is somehow behind this."

"We've all but confirmed it. We arrested two Dragon Warriors attempting to steal a patrol boat to take out to the crash site."

"I knew it! Were you able to find out why the hell they wanted to go out there?"

"We found two of their warships on the outskirts of the city. They said they had been tracking the object from space. They waited until the tidal wave passed over, then they ditched their ships thinking we were distracted by the devastation. They're in custody now."

"Are we sure there aren't anymore Dragon Warriors in the city?"

"If there are, we'll find them. We've secured the city as well as the crash site."

"We should get out there and find out what exactly we're dealing with then."

"Of course. Follow me."

Bomberman was escorted through Unda's main gate. The metal structure was bent and leaning from the massive wave's titanic force. All around, buildings were crumbled and rescuers could be seen scouring the rubble for survivors as well as bodies. There were Coastal Patrolmen keeping watch over the buildings to prevent looting. As they neared the main harbor, the damage only appeared to get worse. Buildings near the harbor were missing off their foundations entirely. Large chunks of concrete littered the beaches, and large hollow statues that once dominated Unda's main plaza now floated precariously in the blue waters offshore. The place was a sheer mess.

Bomberman was ushered aboard one of the big Coastal Patrol boats still docked at the harbor. A few of the boats were heavily damaged, one resting on the beach with a large gaping hole in the left side of the hull. The boat's engines were already running, and soon they were on their way out to the crash site. As they sped away from the city, the rubble floating in the water slowly became more sporadic. The cool mist from the ocean drifted into Bomberman's face. It brought back vivid memories of his adventures on the planet during the dark ages of Sthertoth. Rivos spoke up and snapped Bomberman out of his daydream.

"We've managed to keep all other boats away from the crash site. As of now it's completely under our jurisdiction."

"Have you managed to locate the object?"

"We have a handle on where it is. They're working with sonar right now. If it's true that the thing isn't that big, we can hopefully use a crane to bring it up."

"Is that them just ahead?"

"Yep. We're here. As you can see, it didn't hit too far from shore. That's why the damage was as bad as it was."

The patrol boat arrived at the crash site, situating itself in the center of a ring of other boats. One of the other patrolmen boarded the boat as the anchor was dropped.

"Sir, we've found it. It's not far down, and it looks like we can use the crane to bring it up."

"Do we have any idea what it is?"

"It's intact, we know that much. It looks almost like a capsule of some sort."

Rivos helped his men power up the crane, and the massive claw sank into the dark blue water. After what seemed like an eternity, there was a slight jolt and the claw began to head for the surface. As it emerged, the mysterious object came into view. It was definitely capsule shaped, and it had strange engravings covering every inch of the surface. It was a brilliant gold color, as if the whole thing was carved out of a massive gold brick. As it was lowered down to the deck of the ship, Bomberman and Rivos were able to get a good look at it.

"Strange. It definitely has some interesting pictures carved into it." Bomberman observed.

"What are these strange winged figures carved all over this thing? Look ancient to me." Rivos echoed.

They noticed that part of the capsule was damaged, a large chunk of it chipped away presumably in the impact with the water. As they examined it, a large geyser of steam erupted from the crack in the capsule. Everyone jumped back and a chunk of the capsule fell away, revealing itself to be a hidden hatch. As the steam began to clear, something could be seen crawling out of the hatch. Upon closer investigation, it was revealed to be a Bomber! The Bomber wore a golden robe and headband, and had massive white wings not unlike those of an angel. As the Bomber fell to the deck of the ship, Rivos and Bomberman ran over to try to help the being.

"Hold on! Stay with us! Can you talk? Are you okay?" Rivos frantically yelled.

The injured Bomber looked up at Bomberman. His eyes grew wide, and he began to try to speak.

"The…Chosen...Hero…" The Bomber choked out.

"Huh? Who, me?" Bomberman asked, surprised.

"Listen…please…listen…" The mysterious Bomber croaked.

Bomberman leaned in close.

"G…Gossick. Gossick is the path…"

Gossick? Bomberman remembered Gossick. He had fought Evil Bomber there, but that was really it. Gossick was a small planet at the other end of the Nebula, and Bomberman didn't think there was honestly much to it. He was about to be proven massively wrong.

"The path…to Salvation…Gossick…"

The winged Bomber shuddered. His eyes closed, and he was gone. As he drifted off, a fine golden wisp could be seen leaving the body and lifting off to the heavens. As Bomberman and Rivos tried to make sense of everything, the boat shook. As they stood up and tried to get their bearings, a large black submarine rose out of the water just off the left side of the patrol ship. A hatch on the conning tower opened, and several heavily armed Dragon Warriors emerged. One of them had a large megaphone and hollered into it.

"Surrender the creature and maybe you'll be spared! NOW!"

"We're in a bit of trouble." Rivos quietly said.

"Why? Just get some Coastal Patrol troops out here to help us." Bomberman quipped back.

"That's the issue. They're all in the city helping with victim recovery. I had no idea the bastards had submarines too!"

As Bomberman and Rivos tried to figure out how to get out of this predicament alive, there was a sudden chill in the air. So sudden, it took everyone by complete surprise. Including the Dragon Warriors aboard the submarine. Nobody could figure out what was happening. Without warning, the Dragon Warriors on the submarine were instantly frozen. Almost at once a blue blur of energy swooped in, shattered the bodies of the Dragon Warriors, and snatched up the body of the fallen angel Bomber. As Bomberman and Rivos looked toward the sky, Behemos nodded down at them before flying off with the winged Bomber.

"Damn, the Astral Knights are taking this seriously." Rivos said in amazement.

"The Nebula is their domain. They'll kill to protect it."

"That's what separates them from us. Divinity. Powerful thing."

Bomberman paused before contacting Nitros on his communicator.

"White! Good to hear from you. Is everything ok on Aquanet? We've heard of massive damage and casualties."

"There were many casualties. We recovered the object though. Turned out to be a capsule holding some kind of strange winged Bomber. Almost like an angel."

"An angel. This is the kind of thing you see before the end of the world for crying out loud."

"Of course the Dragon Clan had to get involved. We were cornered by a submarine. They wanted the angel. Behemos took care of the situation. He took the angel away. Unfortunately the poor Bomber didn't make it."

"Did the Bomber say anything to you?"

"It was broken up, but he said Gossick was the path to Salvation. If Gossick indeed has some kind of secret, I should go investigate."

"You do what you have to do. We're behind you all the way. We're planning to move out and form a blockade around Mazone. This threat is gonna be contained one way or another."

"Good luck. I'll let you know if I find anything that can help the battle."

"Good luck White."

With that, the boat headed back to shore. Bomberman had no idea just what was awaiting him on Gossick.


	16. Garadan: The Resurrection

**Garadan: The Resurrection**

Dracomas stood before the blackened artifact, marveling at the odd beauty the object held within itself. He clutched his tome, and almost quivering slightly opened the tattered cover. He had been waiting for this for a long time. So long in fact, he wasn't sure if the Dragon Clan would ever find what they had been searching for all along. All of the violence and torment inflicted upon the planets of the Nebula would be more than worth it if the Dragon Clan could fulfill their destiny and take control of the Nebula once and for all.

He shuddered as he began to read the spell. It was a peculiar spell, but he had fashioned it especially for this occasion. He had no doubt in his mind he would achieve what he set out to achieve.

"Aluuuum, gro voooolus impath…"

He chanted loudly and deeply, using all of the energy contained within his soul to project the spell outward. The artifact trembled, and began to crack. The sharp, distinctive markings covering the outside of the relic began to glow with a warm, fiery hue that lit up the entire hangar bay. As the object crackled and crumbled around him Dracomas was stricken with an energy he had never felt before. The relic was responding just as he imagined it would.

It wouldn't be long now.

The object shuddered one final time before shattering in an impressive explosion that rattled the entire space station. Dracomas fell to the ground, exhausted. He knew he had given it all he had, and as he glanced up he saw confirmation that the spell had indeed worked and paid off.

Standing before him was a being clad in black armor not unlike that of obsidian. A large single jewel on the being's chest glowed with a deep crimson light, and similar jewels on the being's shoulder pads emitted the same glow. The helmet was just as sinister, dotted with small spikes that covered the face and head. Two crimson eyes peered out of the narrow eye holes, and three large horns protruded from the helmet not unlike devil horns. Dracomas and the guards in the room immediately bowed to the being, and the being spoke with a low, thunderous growl.

"I assume we have a problem, since you woke me up from my slumber earlier than planned."

"Your Lordship, it's so good to have you back with us." Dracomas groveled.

"Enough of the brown nosing. That meddlesome white bomber. He's still alive, isn't he?"

"He is, but we'll take care of that. Rest assured. Our plans are almost final. We'll have this Nebula."

"That I already knew. The Nebula will fall. Not even the cosmos could stop us now."

"Never my Lordship. And rest assured we will have Bomberman's head. He'll get his due."

"He hasn't yet, has he? All this time he's been allowed to run rampant. Ruining plans. Stopping what should have been done a long time ago."

"It's…it's complicated."

"The only complicated part is trying to understand why nobody has been able to kill him. Tell me Dracomas, is he really that tough? You scared of a little Bomber?"

"No. Hell no! Look, he's had help…"

"Help? Face it, up until now our forces have been weak. Weak and pathetic. Altair was a fool. Couldn't even get the job done."

"Altair did good work. He had a fortress the size of a small city, remember?"

"He was fodder. Period. I'll take care of everything, and I'll finish what that fool couldn't."

"I know…"

"How are the operations on Mazone? Titus?"

"All is ready. We have plenty of food for our friend Titus. He is eager to awaken, I can feel it."

"Get us back to Mazone. We've delayed enough."

Garadan's thrusters kicked in, and the massive space station set a course straight for Mazone.


	17. Neutral Ring: The Gauntlet

**Neutral Ring: The Gauntlet**

Bomberman guided his ship out of Aquanet's airspace and headed toward the Neutral Ring. He figured it would be a lot safer than traversing the Nebula, since he knew he'd have to pass right by Mazone to get to Gossick. Flying even close to Mazone's airspace would be a suicide mission. It was best to stick to the safest route possible.

As he neared Alcatraz, he spied Guard ships in the distance. They quickly closed in on him and flanked him on both sides. One ship also got in front of him, staying below and in front of Bomberman's ship. He wasn't sure what was going on until a gruff voice came in over his radio.

"White, Nitros sent us. We're gonna escort you as far as we can."

"Appreciated. The Dragon Clan is spreading, you can tell. The Neutral Ring doesn't quite feel as safe as it used to."

"We should be able to get you as far as Epikyur. From there you can swing around Thantos and enter hyper speed. It should then be a pretty straight shot to Gossick."

"Gotcha. I just hope we can win this thing."

Before Bomberman could say anymore, an explosion rocked the left side of his ship. He looked outside to find that the guard ship flanking his left had been hit and was on fire.

"Dammit! Dragon Clan birds coming at us!" The Guard pilot shouted over the radio.

Bomberman threw the throttles forward and rushed past Alcatraz. Dragon ships pursued him relentlessly, and he knew that the limited weapons his ship had could shoot some of the Dragon ships down. He also knew he would be outnumbered by the large group of warships. He powered up the ship and entered hyper speed. As he sped along, he shifted his gaze to the right to find that a couple guard ships were off in the distance speeding along with him. It was comforting despite the dire situation they were all in. Shortly, he came out of hyper speed and could see Thantos directly in front of him. He was almost home free.

Laser fire smashed into his right wing, rocking his ship violently. He quickly powered into a sharp right turn to find that six Dragon ships had followed him through hyper speed. He fired quickly, striking a Dragon ship and igniting its engines. The ship was out of control, and it spiraled down into the thick atmosphere of Thantos. He went into evasive maneuvers to try to lose the other ships, but he was failing. His two Guard compatriots were able to take down two more of the Dragon ships, but more laser fire smacked Bomberman's left wing.

He pressed forth past Thantos and put the ship at full power. The Dragon ships followed, but he knew no matter what he had to get to Gossick. He zoomed along and was impressed by how efficiently his ship was performing despite the fact that it had been riddled with laser fire. He would worry about the repairs later. He could see Gossick in the distance, nothing more than a bleak, beige rock floating in the blackness of the outer Neutral Ring. He flew straight for it, taking more fire from the Dragon Ships. He fired on a Dragon ship that had gotten in front of him, and the ship fell to the surface of Gossick. Bomberman knew he couldn't take much more before his ship would be destroyed, so he set the autopilot and fled to the back of the flight deck to the escape capsule. He knew he was close enough now that he could aim the capsule toward Gossick and more than likely land on the surface.

He strapped himself into the small capsule and the hatch slid shut. There was a hiss as the capsule pressurized, and then Bomberman was left in total darkness. The only source of light was a small, blinking button. Bomberman pressed it and the capsule came to life. A screen allowed him to see outside of the capsule, and small rudimentary flight controls would allow him to steer the capsule once the capsule's small thrusters were activated. The only thing he could do was steer the capsule, as the thruster power wasn't able to be controlled. The thrusters were only there to get Bomberman away from the ship quickly, and that was all he needed. As he powered up the capsule, the ship shook once again. As Bomberman gazed at the view screen, he watched helplessly as the ship's flight deck was torn apart. He quickly pulled the jettison handle and the capsule launched away from the ship just as the ship began to spiral out of control.

As the capsule sped away from the ship, Bomberman watched the ship plummet before impacting the surface of Gossick. He hoped that the Dragon ships didn't see the capsule jettison. The Dragon ships flew past Gossick before turning toward the Neutral Ring and speeding off. He was relieved, but he still had the matter of landing safely on Gossick. He guided the capsule toward the surface, and he spotted a small clearing among some larger rocks. He gripped the control stick tightly, and prepared to deploy the capsule's parachute. As the ground got closer, he yanked a large red handle on the ceiling and the parachute exploded out of the back of the capsule. The thrusters automatically shut down, and the capsule safely touched down on Gossick's surface.

Through the screen he could see the small cloud of dust that was generated by the capsule's landing. He sat quietly for a few minutes, wanting to make absolutely sure that the threat was gone. When he was sure it was all clear, he pressed the egress button. The screen flickered off, there was a loud hiss, and the capsule's hatch slid open. Bomberman stepped out, and immediately the memories of his fight with Evil Bomber came back to him. Gossick hadn't changed much, though there really wasn't much to change. The planet was overrun with sharp, rocky outcroppings and large stone mountains. Bomberman could still see the remains of the base that was destroyed during his battle with Evil Bomber. He honestly knew that he would have never returned here had there not seemingly been a connection to Gold 1. He just knew he needed to find it as soon as possible.

Bomberman grabbed his survival pack, and he sealed the escape capsule back up. He didn't activate the capsule's homing beacon, for he knew if he did it was very likely the Dragon Clan would be able to find the capsule. They would know he was alive and they would tear Gossick up looking for him. He didn't need that. The Nebula couldn't afford to have that happen. If Gossick held one of Gold 1's secrets, there could be no mistakes made.

Bomberman headed out toward one of the large mountains. He knew enough to know that what he was looking for probably involved Gossick's cave system. To reach any of the caves, he was going to have to climb one of those mountains.


	18. Mazone: The Arrival

**Mazone: The Arrival**

Garadan's thrusters slowed slightly, the massive space station rocking forward. It had been a trip, but Garadan was home. Home for now. The frosted surface of Mazone gleamed in the mammoth glow the thrusters gave off. The hostages were lined up in a massive clearing that spanned the entire perimeter of the main Dragon camp. The tension in the air was thick, likely due to the fact that the hostages knew it was never a good thing when a gigantic black space station pulled up alongside the planet they were currently on.

Traho stood at attention, his gaze aimed skyward at Garadan. He knew this was it. This was the moment they had all been waiting for; their one chance to finally rule the Nebula and then the galaxy itself. It was only a matter of time. Once the Dragon Clan had the Nebula, the Neutral Ring would fall even faster. As Traho watched, a smaller ship emerged from one of the small ports on the side of Garadan. It seemingly floated for a bit before shifting to the right and gradually growing bigger. As the ship got closer, Traho boomed orders to his troops.

"Move the hostages back! Make room. Make plenty of room!" He yelled.

The Dragon Warriors pushed the hostages back as the ship grew near. The darkened hull of the ship came into full view as small landing thrusters kicked in. A tremendous cloud of ice and snow was whipped up as the ship hovered over the ground. Finally after what seemed like endless delay, the ship touched down and powered off. The silence was then deafening; the hostages and Warriors waiting for the ship's hatch to open. A loud hiss signaled just that, and Traho and all the warriors dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Dracomas emerged first and stood on the exit ramp. He gazed at the crowd before him, looking around and taking everything in quietly. He spoke up.

"The time has come for the Dragon Clan to rise to power! I present our Lordship, Nihilobus!"

With his name finally revealed, Nihilobus stepped menacingly out of the ship. He paused before full ascending the ramp, his thick black armored boots coming to rest on the fresh snow. He looked at the hostages, and was pleased. Titus would have a good full meal, and the ancient dragon would be ready to help the Dragon Clan take over the galaxy one planet at a time.

"For too long, I have been thwarted countless times by Bomberman and his goons. Not anymore. It's a new day. A new era. And just think, all of you get to be a part of it. That alone should make you feel honored." Nihilobus said.

The hostages said nothing. What could they say? They were surrounded. There was absolutely nothing they could do.

"I'm here to finish what certain other pitiful beings couldn't. There are two kinds of beings in this galaxy. There are those that can get things done, and there are the weak runts that Gods such as I must weed out. Altair was a fool. Sthertoth was weak. I'm here to demonstrate to the galaxy that I am anything but weak. I'll finish what those pathetic Astral Knights failed at."

Traho and the other Dragon Warriors began to applaud loudly before repeatedly chanting Nihilobus's name. As the chanting continued, a burst of energy swept through the crowd and smashed directly into Traho. A cloud of snow was kicked up, and as it settled Nihilobus could see Traho laying motionless son the ground. Upon closer inspection, he could see that Traho's head had been severed. Most of the Dragon Warriors recoiled in terror, but Nihilobus was barely taken aback. As he glanced upward he saw none other than Regulus hovering above Traho's body, as if mocking him. Dracomas seemed to be authentically afraid of the situation.

"You're Lordship, its Regulus! He shouldn't be messed with!"

"Please. He and the other Astral phonies don't intimidate me. I corrupted them once. Don't you think I couldn't do it again?"

"Agreed, but Bulzeeb was one thing. As Regulus, he's far more powerful! More powerful than I'm sure he's ever been!"

"Fortunately for you and everyone else, I know how to talk to miscreants such as himself."

Nihilobus stepped forward, firmly planting his right foot in front of him. Regulus seemed unfazed, as he hadn't moved at all. His arms remained crossed in front of him, and his thick blue visor gave way to nothing but emptiness. Even the hostages seemed intimidated by Regulus, but Nihilobus wasn't backing down.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Coming here, interrupting our business! You're pathetic!"

"The only pathetic thing I see is your sorry excuse for a general. Seems he's sleeping on the job."

"When we take the galaxy, I'll personally see to it that you're executed for murder. That was my best general!"

"Really? No. You aren't serious? You serious? Traho was your best general? No. Nah. You're pulling my leg."

"You have a lot of fortitude coming here and killing my best general, but you'll learn respect. You'll learn fast."

Regulus looked down at Traho's body, and then began to scan the remaining Dragon Warriors in the crowd.

"I'll tell you one thing Nihilobus. If you plan on taking over the galaxy, you may wanna invest in some better Warriors. That guy was a pushover."

"Let's talk about being a pushover Regulus. As I remember it, you and your other Knight buddies weren't so tough when I corrupted your minds!"

"Rest assured that won't happen again. You're playing with fire, and you're in over your head."

"Your threats don't bother me. Idle threats accomplish nothing."

"Call it what you will. That golden moon you see in the distance will be your downfall. There's nobody that can stop it, and nobody that will be able to save you."

"The only thing that needs saving is your sharp tongue. You'd best hold it."

"If you think the moon is your only problem, you'd better wake up. The sky holds many things, most of them sinister. You're worst nightmare will come from the sky, should you not release these prisoners and leave the galaxy."

"The sky? What are you babbling about? Still delusional thanks to your old buddy Rukifellth?"

"I will say no more. Keep your gaze on the sky. If you know what's good for you. That's a warning, and a promise. Heed it."

With that, Regulus sped off into the blackness of space, leaving nothing but vapor trails and hope that the hostages would soon be free. Nihilobus however, was left to the now nagging doubt planted in his mind. What did Regulus mean? What was in the sky?


	19. Gossick: Path to Salvation

**Gossick: Path to Salvation**

Bomberman trudged along Gossick's rocky surface, being painfully reminded with every step just how harsh and ugly the planet really was.

"Man, this place sucks. I should have found a way to destroy it when I was here the first time."

He caught himself and made it a point to remind himself that had he destroyed the decrepit rock, he would have also destroyed the link to Gold 1. Wherever and whatever that might be. As he headed toward the largest mountain, he spotted smoke in the distance underlined by a persistent orange glow.

"Whatever that is, it can't be good."

As he approached the smoke, he saw that it was a Dragon warship in flames. It had to have been the one he shot down. Oddly enough, the fire had not consumed the entire ship. If he was crafty enough, Bomberman could slip in there and see if there were any supplies he could salvage. Surely the pilots had to have been killed in the crash, and surely they had something he could use. As idiotic and insane as the Dragon Clan acted, Bomberman knew they more than likely stayed prepared at every turn. He approached the ship, and a laser missed his head by an inch. Before he could react, he saw two Dragon Warriors heading his way.

"He's still alive! Die little Bomber!"

Bomberman knew he needed to get to some high ground if he wanted to get the upper hand on these guys, so he turned and fled into a large field of rocks. It was almost like a maze, but he had one advantage his pursuers didn't have. He had been here before. His thoughts however, consisted of nothing short of amazement that those Dragon Warriors had survived that crash. No matter. He knew he had the advantage. He weaved between the rocks, dodging laser fire. He came to a narrow trail leading up the mountain, so he began to sprint up it toward a rocky cliff. He leaped over a small chasm and began to rapidly scale the cliff. Using rocks ad handholds, he made his way up to a small ledge hidden almost completely from view. He cautiously peered over the edge only to find that the Dragon Warriors were climbing up after him. With nowhere to go, he lobbed a bomb over the edge. It struck one Warrior and knocked him off balance. The Warrior fell, and the bomb fell after him. One explosion later and it was one down, one to go.

Bomberman dodged another laser bolt and threw a second bomb over the ledge. The Dragon Warrior evaded it, but a third bomb followed it closely. Another explosion, another dead Dragon Warrior. Bomberman exhaled and began looking for an efficient way to climb back down. Before he could however, he spied a small crevice in the back wall of the ledge that appeared to lead to a narrow path. Without thinking he squeezed in and began following the path.

"Man, I shouldn't have eaten so many donuts back on Planet Bomber." Bomberman said to himself as he proceeded down the path.

As he followed the winding path, he noticed it taking him toward a large mountain. He had never seen this mountain before, as it was hidden amongst the larger mountains in the range. In fact, this particular mountain looked a little different. While Gossick was generally made of dark brown rock and jagged mountains, this mountain had a lighter hue to it. Soon unfortunately, Bomberman reached a dead end. He did notice a peculiar object jammed into the rock wall ahead of him. As he got closer, he could see that it was in fact an old Odd Bomb left behind by Evil Bomber.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see one of these things again. Small world when you get right down to it."

Bomberman pulled it out of the wall, and part of the wall crumbled to reveal a darkened cave. He peered inside and could see that the cave went deep into the mountain. In fact, it was partially illuminated with brilliant golden crystals embedded in the rock walls. Bomberman immediately put two and two together and moved the Odd Bomb far away. He didn't need the thing going off. He planted one of his own bombs in front of the wall, and the ensuing explosion blew most of the wall away. He stepped into the cave and began to follow the path. He noticed the path began to gradually take him deeper underground, but he knew that he needed to press on. As he walked, he came to a large drop. He carefully climbed down and scaled the wall all the way down to the bottom. He continued on as the tunnel winded deeper into the mountain.

He eventually came to a huge cavern illuminated by more golden crystals. These were larger than the ones in the tunnel. In the center of the cavern on a platform was what appeared to be a strange space capsule of some sort. A hole in the cavern's ceiling led to a large vertical tunnel that appeared to lead up and out of the mountain. If Bomberman could somehow power the capsule up, he knew he might be able to use it to leave Gossick. He wasn't sure where Gold 1's secret was, but this seemed like a pretty big secret in itself. He figured it couldn't hurt to explore the capsule.

The capsule's hatch was oddly open already, so Bomberman climbed in. As if on cue, the hatch closed and large straps came out of the seat and firmly secured Bomberman down. The controls in front of him powered on, and there was a jolt as the capsule launched up the tunnel and out of the mountain. Through the small porthole in front of him, Bomberman could see the surface of Gossick as well as the downed Dragon warship. He tried to use the controls, but they didn't respond. The capsule turned and blasted off away from Gossick. Bomberman wasn't sure what was happening, but he couldn't bring himself to be scared.

As the capsule zipped along the darkness of space, Bomberman could see a familiar sight ahead of him. He was heading straight for Gold 1. The capsule picked up speed and began to get closer and closer to the golden moon. As they neared Gold 1, a brilliant golden glow filled the inside of the capsule. The craft began to descend into Gold 1's atmosphere, and then finally began to zoom along what appeared to be a canyon of some kind. Bomberman could see trees flying by, which surprised him. Finally, the capsule began to slow down and then landed in a clearing. As Bomberman peered through the porthole, the hatch suddenly roared open. Fresh, cool air came in immediately, and Bomberman could see a lush green field outside. There were huge, thick trees all around, and the sky was a bright golden color.

What would be awaiting him out there?


	20. Mazone: The Blockade

**Mazone: The Blockade**

Nitros peered out the large bay window framing the command station aboard his ship. In the distance, he could see Mazone's frosty surface. All around him, Guard ships moved into place to build and secure a blockade around the icy planet. Whatever the Dragon Clan were planning down there, Nitros wanted to make sure they'd have as much trouble as possible trying to come and go as they pleased. Something was worrying Nitros, however. There was absolutely no resistance and no sign of any kind of patrols anywhere. Nitros radioed Red.

"Red, are you seeing this? There's no Dragon ships around here anywhere."

"Seems a little odd. Shouldn't they be a little concerned that a massive Guard fleet is moving to blockade their airspace?" Red responded.

"Either they're really preoccupied with something down there, or they know something we don't. I have a feeling it's a combination of both."

The ships moved in and began setting themselves up to surround the planet. Checkpoints were created to allow the Guard to confront and control anyone or anything trying to move into or out of Mazone's airspace. Nitros's ship was acting as the lead ship, guiding the smaller ships into a tight, interlocking pattern that formed a rather formidable barrier. All was going according to plan, but the uneasiness caused by the lack of resistance overshadowed any feelings of accomplishment.

Those feelings of dread seemingly came to fruition when a large shadow engulfed Nitros's and Red's fleet.

"Dammit! Code Six! We have company!" Nitros yelled into his radio.

No sooner than the alert went out did the owner of the shadow reveal itself. One of the mammoth disc shaped crafts moved into view, hovering almost menacingly. Another one revealed itself a good distance away from the first. Both hovered in space quietly, as if to observe what the Guard was doing. Suddenly, the ship closest to the fleet activated its searchlights. The beams crossed over the various guard ships. Everyone was on edge, and nobody was moving.

The searchlights powered off, and the ships hovered for a few more seconds. They each shimmered, bathed in a rich golden glow. Without explanation, they zipped off into the distance before eventually vanishing.

"Is everyone ok? Everybody copy?" Nitros asked over the radio.

"We're all good. Wonder what the hell those things were doing?" Red replied.

"Watching us no doubt. Bomberman has seen firsthand what those ships can do."

"I've honestly never seen a ship that massive move so quickly. I mean, that's not of this world."

"Something else is going on. We probably don't have the power to understand it, but they didn't attack us. In fact, throughout this entire conflict they've been saving our asses left and right."

"Some kind of divine intervention maybe?"

"Whatever your belief system may revolve around, I can't help but feel something big is in store for us. Sooner rather than later."

"Agreed on that one."

"I'm glad we have them on our side. But we can't falter now. Let's finish up our work here. I can only hope Bomberman is ok right now. It's been a while since we've heard from him."

"He can take care of himself sir. But you knew that. He'll turn up."

The Guard continued working on the blockade, unaware of what was going on down on Mazone's surface. Unaware of what Bomberman was about to encounter on Gold 1.


	21. Gold 1: Pure Salvation

**Gold 1: Pure Salvation**

Bomberman cautiously stepped out of the golden capsule and was greeted by a rich, cool breeze. Surprisingly enough, the planet had air that was breathable, and a surface that consisted of rich foliage and dense forests. It was a beautiful place, but Bomberman couldn't allow himself to be distracted by mere aesthetics. He didn't know what kind of wildlife might inhabit a place like this, and he didn't wanna take any chances. He needed to look for a way off the planet, while being on guard at all times.

As he walked, he marveled at just how gorgeous the planet was. Even the gravity here seemed to be normal. It was a surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise. The normal atmosphere and gravity brought Bomberman a sense of peace. It also brought him a sense of familiarity.

The two creatures that came out of the sky however, did not.

They landed right in front of Bomberman, and it startled him so badly that he had a bomb armed and ready to throw almost immediately.

"Wait! We're not here to hurt you! We come with peaceful and good intentions!" One of the beings said.

Bomberman got a good look at them. He was shocked to see that they were in fact Bombers! They had beautiful golden wings and halos. They wore ornate robes that flowed all the way down to their ankles. In fact, they were identical to the angelic Bomber that Bomberman had met on Aquanet. Bomberman felt bad about pulling a bomb on them, but he had to be careful. This was a planet in which anything could happen.

"I'm sorry. You guys startled me. Who are you exactly?"

"My name is Boreo. This is Materu. We've come because our leader foretold your arrival. We've been waiting for you Bomberman."

"Whoa, you know my name?"

"We know all about you. Our leader told us many things about you. He's been watching you and would like to visit with you. He has much to tell you, but he needs to know if you're ready and can handle it all." Materu responded.

"I'm stranded here, and something about this place feels right. Where is your master?"

"Follow us. He's in the main palace. It's not far." Boreo answered.

Bomberman followed the two angelic beings down a winding road. They soon came to a path flanked by large mountains. As Bomberman glanced up the mountains, he could see sprawling cities built into the sides of the mountains themselves. It was quite a sight to behold.

"Say, I think I met one of you down on Aquanet. Well, one of your kind anyway. Whatever became of him?" Bomberman inquired.

The two beings were silent, and then Boreo spoke up.

"That was Reyuth. He was unfortunately stopped by the Dragon Clan. Behemos returned him to us, so don't worry. He'll be just fine. Nobody that's from here can die. Their ethereal bodies simply go into stasis until our leader can awaken them. It's a minor inconvenience is all."

"Glad to hear he'll be ok."

The group followed the path as it diverged into the woods. Gorgeous birds inhabited the trees, and the sounds of their chirps filled the crisp air. The golden sky provided an incredible backdrop to everything. Soon Boreo and Materu led Bomberman to a large stone path that wound up a mountain. As the group followed it, Bomberman noticed incredibly detailed carvings that were etched into the large stones that lined both sides of the pathway. He could see pictures of beings he recognized. He could make out all of the Elemental Knights as well. The path steepened, and eventually gave way to a massive winding stairway. As Bomberman climbed, he found it odd that he didn't feel tired at all. It must have been the mysterious power the planet held.

Soon they came to a gate, and it swung open as if expecting them. Bomberman was led into a huge courtyard surrounded by tons of different buildings. More of the angelic Bombers mingled in the courtyard, talking with each other. Large fountains dominated the courtyard, and there were quite a few large intricate sculptures as well. The buildings were all made of gorgeous stone, and their roofs were built from beautiful jade green tiles. The place seemed familiar to Bomberman, but he couldn't quite discern why. Soon he was led to a large building that he correctly assumed was the main palace.

The large exquisite doors boomed open and Bomberman was led inside. He then heard the familiar voices chanting up ahead.

"Arumeus!"

That's the chant they heard from the transmission they listened to back on planet Bomber! His excitement and curiosity spiked simultaneously, and he was eager to see where he was being taken. He was led into a huge palatial throne room. Large groups of the angelic Bombers were assembled before a being seated on a gorgeous stone throne.

As Bomberman got closer to the throne, he could see the being clearly. The being wore brilliant golden armor with a large red jewel embedded in the center of his chest plate. Smaller red jewels were embedded in the shoulder plates and shin guards. A shiny black visor covered the being's face, and it was attached to a golden headpiece that had more jewels embedded in it. Underneath all of the golden armor appeared to be darker golden chainmail with specks of brilliant silver interlaced within it. The being stood up and spoke to Bomberman.

"I welcome you Bomberman. I am Arumeus."

"It's a pleasure. Though I have to ask. Why have I been brought here?"

"I've been watching you for a long time. I've seen firsthand the heroic deeds you've done. I've witnessed your immense bravery, and your willingness to sacrifice everything to protect the ones you love. Not everyone has those qualities."

"Isn't that something everyone SHOULD have though?"

"It is, but unfortunately life works a lot differently. Not everyone has those values. The Nebula is a dark place, and I know that you know that. It's getting darker Bomberman, and you're the only one that can help us bring the light back."

"The Dragon Clan?"

"They're pawns. The real threat lies within. Deep within their ranks lurks the one that aims to destroy everything that exists. He aims to turn it into the infinite blackness that only he can comfortably exist in. You've done a lot in your life Bomberman. You stopped Sirius. You stopped Sthertoth and Rukifellth. You have the power to save the Nebula."

"There's a lot I need to know. I need to know what's really going on here."

"That's why I brought you here. If you think you can handle it, I'd like to give you the truth. You've been living in a world of lies, and all is not as it seems."

"I'm ready. Whatever I may have to face, it's for the good of the Nebula. I'm ready for the truth."

Arumeus motioned to a second smaller throne next to his throne.

"Take a seat. I'll tell you everything."


	22. Mazone: The Awakening

**Mazone: The Awakening**

Nihilobus moved silently through the icy cavern under the Dragon Clan's main base on Mazone's surface. Dracomas followed close behind, eager for what was ahead. The pair continued through the massive cavern until they reached an elevator. The two Dragon guards outside allowed them passage, and they stepped into the cold metallic box. The doors closed, and Nihilobus spoke up.

"Soon we will rule the Nebula. Soon those that oppose us will bow in terror as we overtake their planets and ravage their cities."

"All will go as planned. Nothing will stop us now." Dracomas answered.

"We have the Astral Knights attempting to stand in our way. The last thing I need is that group interfering."

"It'll be taken care of. Titus will devour them whole."

The dimly lit elevator opened to reveal wide tunnel leading deep into Mazone's core. As Dracomas followed his master, he marveled at the dark blue ice that made up the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. Small blue and white crystals shone forth, embedded deep in the frigid walls. Soon the tunnel narrowed and dropped off steeply. The duo came to a fork, with four separate paths. Without hesitating, Nihilobus rushed toward the northern path.

"To be honest master, I had no idea these caverns were even here." Dracomas marveled.

"I was here once before. In the past. I've known about Titus for a long time. Surprising I realize."

"Not at all. I'd expect nothing less of a man of your power."

"I have great power. And it'll be the Clan's power once we awaken Titus and begin our eternal reign."

The duo followed the tunnel until it eventually narrowed. The glow from the crystals entombed in the wall seemed to intensify. Nihilobus could feel their energy.

"We're close. He is here."

Soon they came to a massive stone door engraved with intricate pictures. The symbols were completely unrecognizable to Dracomas, and he had seen a lot of symbols in his lifetime. As a Shaman, it was all part of the knowledge of magic and natural power. But these symbols were foreign, and Dracomas had a sense of wonderment as Nihilobus began to chant in front of the doors. The strange, dark chant rang through the tunnel, and the door began to slowly slide open. Dracomas followed his master through the doors and stepped into a large cavern. Large stone steps lead down to a concrete island in a massive frozen lake. Nihilobus slowly walked up to an ornate altar and placed his hands into to indentions on top of the altar. The dark chant rang forth again, and the layer of ice encasing the lake began to tremble. Large cracks appeared in the surface, and soon the ice split apart with a thunderous crash. Mammoth bubbles began to rise up, and soon there were so many bubbles it looked as if the lake was boiling. Dracomas watched in stunned silence as the massive dragon known as Titus slowly rose from the lake. The large blue body was covered in thick, calloused scales. His head was adorned with massive horns, and the beasts eyes glowed with a fiery blue and orange intensity. Titus let out a mighty roar, and looked down at Nihilobus and Dracomas.

Titus slowly lowered its head down until it was level with Nihilobus. At first, Dracomas expected Nihilobus to bow to the beast, but he watched in awe as Titus bowed its head and uttered a low growl.

"Master."

He had no idea the dragon could speak, and Titus and Nihilobus began to have a conversation.

"It's almost time Titus. Your feast awaits on the surface." Nihilobus told the dragon.

"I crave flesh. Warm, bloody flesh."

"You'll have it. Soon."

Nihilobus turned toward Dracomas.

"Begin the preparations. We'll commence the sacrifices as soon as we break through the surface. We have work to do."


	23. Gold 1: Revelations

**Gold 1: Revelations**

Bomberman sat quietly in the throne adjacent to Arumeus's throne. The golden being dismissed the crowd of angelic Bombers from the throne room, as he wanted to reveal everything to Bomberman in private. He allowed his guards to remain, but the room was largely empty.

"Now Bomberman, are you ready to receive the truth?" Arumeus inquired.

"I am. I'm ready." Bomberman responded.

"This will be a lot to take in. An information dump, if you will. If at any moment you feel overwhelmed, please say so."

"No worries. I'm ready."

Arumeus relaxed into his throne.

"Bomberman, I am the true creator of the universe. I created the Nebula and everything in it. I am the leader of the Astral Knights, and I created them to be the keepers of the universe."

"What about Mihaele? Stheroth?"

"When Sthertoth possessed Rukifellth, he was under false belief that he was the true demon of darkness. Not so. I merely created Mihaele to combat Sthertoth. Sthertoth was a mere creation of the true demon of darkness, Nihilobus. Rukifellth was a pawn of Sthertoth as you know, but Nihilobus was behind it all."

"I've never even heard of Nihilobus until he showed up recently. Where has he been all this time?"

"You may not know the name, but you know who he is. Nihilobus visited you before in the guise of a being he called Sirius."

"My word! THAT was Nihilobus?!"

"It was. He wanted the Omni Cube all for himself. You see, he created the Cube, and corrupted Altair's mind. He used Altair to retrieve the Cube, which he had kept hidden for ages. He planned to siphon the Cube's power to become even stronger, and then awaken Titus with that power."

"Great, I feel bad about getting rid of Altair now."

"Don't. See, Altair was fighting Nihilobus's corruption the entire time. He wanted to destroy the Cube, but Nihilobus's indoctrination proved to be too much for him. You released him from what would have definitely been a grisly fate."

"And what about Garadan? They still have the space station."

"The Garadan Empire was an experiment Nihilobus was conducting. He wanted to see what kind of technology his dark powers could produce. He created Bagular and tried to use the technology to further his plans. When you were able to infiltrate that station and knock out Bagular, Nihilobus realized that technology is weak and pulled the plug on the project. And I trust you remember Evil Bomber?"

"That crazed Bomber that had all those Odd Bombs?"

"Yes. He was a rogue soldier that had fought in Altair's ranks. He admired Nihilobus for his power over the Nebula. He wanted to prove to Nihilobus that he could take out anything in his way. He planted those Odd Bombs all over the Nebula. Those bombs were powerful and could have destroyed the Nebula had he been able to set them all off. You however, had been following him diffusing those bombs. When you destroyed him on Gossick, Nihilobus was forced to give it up and he created Sthertoth."

"He gave up on Garadan."

"Right. He focused his energy on furthering his powers and began taking pawns again. Rukifellth was one of many of his unfortunate victims. Nihilobus's power continued to grow, so much that he was able to corrupt every single one of my Knights. When you stopped the Knights and Rukifellth, Nihilobus's soul went into hibernation out in deep space. He knew he needed to wait for the right time to emerge again."

"So he chose the Dragon Clan?"

"His soul happened upon the Clan, and he saw that the Clan worships the exact dragon he had tried to awaken long before. He knew that if he could corrupt an entire army, he could become unstoppable."

"If Nihilobus is so powerful on his own, why does he need pawns?"

"Trust me; he could do many terrifying things on his own. He prefers to indoctrinate people to have that extra edge. He's a strategist, and that makes him all the more powerful. He plans to use the Dragon Clan and Titus to wipe out all remaining life in the Nebula and turn it into his own twisted dark universe. Once he achieves that, he'll wipe out the Clan and Titus and reign supreme."

"But the Knights are still alive! They'll stop him!"

"The greatest thing you ever did was free the Elemental Knights from their corruption. I am forever in debt to you for that. The Knights can't do it alone though Bomberman. You're the greatest threat to Nihilobus, and with my power within you he can be stopped."

"What about all those helpless hostages on Mazone?"

"Funny you mention that. It's being taken care of even as we speak. But there are more matters we must attend to. Follow me, and I'll explain the rest to you."


	24. Mazone: Angelic Rescue

**Mazone: Angelic Rescue**

The ground began to tremble, and the Dragon Clan's terrified captives knew that nothing good was going to come of it. Their fears were confirmed when Nihilobus burst from beneath the surface in a brilliant explosion of ice and energy. The dark being stood over the crowd as Dracomas clumsily climbed from the hole created by the forceful exodus.

"Dragons, I proudly present to you, the Unholy Ice Dweller Himself. Titus!" Nihilobus growled.

At once, the mighty ice dragon blew forth from under Mazone's frigid landscape. He let out a mighty roar, one that caused the spines of everyone in the vicinity to curl. The dragon looked over his prey and uttered one simplistic word.

"Meat."

With that, the terrified hostages were forced toward a large wooden platform that had been constructed especially as a feeding platform. The hostages knew what was to be their fate, but there was nothing that they could do to stop it. In their hearts, they knew they were doomed.

A massive beam of energy shattered those thoughts.

It slammed into Titus's chest at such high velocity that the mighty dragon was blown back into the hole he had emerged from. Stunned, Nihilobus and the Dragon Clan could only watch helplessly as one of the mammoth ancient spacecraft came into view. The ship hovered for what seemed like an eternity. Energy coursed through the veins on the surface of the craft, and the large membranes hiding the ship's searchlights parted. The crowd down on Mazone's surface was bathed in a blinding, cascading light. The searchlights scanned the crowd and the entire camp.

For the first time, Nihilobus began to feel apprehension. Truthfully, he had never seen anything like what he was seeing above him at the moment. The ship continued to scan the crowd. Was it going to fire another one of those beams? Nihilobus began to think and strategize. Clearly the ship was a creation of immense and unstoppable power. How was the Clan going to combat this? There was surely a way, but the ship was guaranteed to do incredible damage before it could be shut down or destroyed.

Suddenly, the searchlights powered off. The ship hovered a little longer, and then the surface of the vessel shimmered. The energy within the veins began to glow more brilliantly, and suddenly a geyser of steam shot forth from what appeared to be an opening hatch. As Nihilobus focused his eyes on the ship, he could see things in the distance. Flying things. They were getting closer.

Without warning, swarms of angelic bombers swooped in and scooped up every last one of the hostages. The Dragon Clan fired on the beings, but it was moot. The angels were protected by a shimmering, impenetrable golden barrier. The bombers flew back toward the ships with the hostages in tow, and soon the hatch closed with a mighty thud. The ship came back to life, and immediately roared away into the distance. Nihilobus and the Clan could only stand there, stunned. With one thought on their mind.

Titus was going to be quite grumpy without food.


	25. Gold 1: Elemental Core

**Gold 1: Elemental Core**

Arumeus lead Bomberman to large pillar located behind the throne. He placed his hand upon it, and it lowered into the floor revealing a large hidden elevator. They boarded the elevator and began to descend into the core of Gold 1.

"The planet your people call Gold 1 is really called Aurelus. It's a moon that belongs to a complex universe that is not of this world. I use it as a vehicle of sorts, to keep a close eye on the Nebula."

"I've actually been meaning to ask you about something. I'm wondering about a strange nightmare I had. My bedroom was bathed in strange light and I could see a creature peaking into my window. It was terrifying." Bomberman inquired.

"That wasn't a nightmare. What you saw was real. After I created Aurelus and the Elemental Knights, I created a race of beings far more advanced than the Bombers or anything else in the Nebula. They're an alien race known as the Lienu."

"THAT'S what that was?!"

"Indeed. They developed their own advanced technology, and they constructed massive warships. Hence what you saw down on Horizon. They're powerful vessels, and the Lienu set out to protect Aurelus. Their highly sophisticated form of cloaking hid Aurelus from the rest of the universe while I built my palace."

"I can't help but feel that I've been here before."

"You have, actually. Nihilobus stole part of the palace and used it as a base of operations to spy on Altair and the Black Fortress. He had renamed it Rainbow Palace while he was masquerading as Sirius. After you defeated him, the Lienu reclaimed the stolen throne room and courtyard and returned it to Aurelus."

"Nihilobus was able to just up and make off with your throne room?"

"I had been attending to matter with Altair at the time. I didn't inhabit the palace yet. The matters were grave, and you will learn of them in due time."

"I assume it had to do with the Knights."

"Correct. You see, when the Knights fell under Rukifellth's influence, I knew I could save them and salvage their souls no matter what happened. I needed to focus on Altair and you. I placed my power within you, and you were able to save Altair, take down Nihilobus, and free each of the Knights from their unholy corruption."

The elevator doors parted, revealing a large walkway that spiraled further down into the planet's core.

"Where exactly are we headed?" Bomberman asked.

"There are some people that would like to thank you."

Soon they arrived at a large, spherical chamber. Assembled before them were all of the Elemental Knights. The Knights bowed their heads as Bomberman and Arumeus entered the room.

"Arise. Formalities are not required. Our guest of honor is here."

"So he IS here. Ahhh, it's great to see you again Bomberman!" Molok barked.

"Yes, we are forever in debt to you for saving us from that madman." Zoniha replied.

A familiar figure stepped up to Bomberman and extended his hand. Bomberman immediately shook it, recognizing the visor clad face of Regulus.

"I see you're rocking the blue armor again old friend." Bomberman noted.

"I've returned to my original form, the Elemental Knight of Space. The shadows always were a bit too unpleasant for a man like me, and I hated the name Bulzeeb. Still, it's great to see you alive and well."

"Alive considering the circumstances. We'd expect no less of the Bomber known as White Hero however." Baelfael exclaimed.

"I must say, it WAS fun frying those pathetic Dragon Warriors with lightning." Zhael admitted.

"And I love shattering a deeply frozen corpse with my bare fists. Does that make me a bad person?" Behemos wondered aloud.

Everyone in the room laughed.

"You guys haven't lived until you've watched a large tornado toss around the Dragon Clan like tin cans." Ashtarth said.

After another round of laughter, Arumeus spoke up.

"Now that everyone is assembled, we can move out immediately. There's one more thing to take care of though. To the hangar we go."

The group moved out of the core and down another wide passageway. Regulus punched in a code on a keypad, and a massive door swung open. Greeting Bomberman in a large underground hangar was the Genesis.

"Whoa! It's fixed!" He yelled out.

"Almost better than it was originally. The Lienu and the Angels have added some brand new modifications. These will help greatly in the battles to come. We must make haste, however. There's a group of people on the surface that will be happy to see her in one piece." Arumeus replied.

The hangar floor began to rise, and large doors far above them opened. After a bit of a ride, the group emerged on the surface with the massive ship. Bammer and his crew stood in awe on Aurelus's surface. It was overwhelming enough that they had been saved by angelic bombers and brought to the golden planet. Now they were seeing their beloved ship completely rebuilt and in pristine condition rising up before them.

"My word! She's here!" Bammer shouted.

"She's ready to go. You'll find that some modifications were made. Hopefully they'll be to your liking." Arumeus said.

"How could we ever begin to thank you?"

"There are no thanks necessary. You and your crew will play a huge part in the liberation of the Nebula. When this is all over, it is I that will be thanking YOU."


	26. Garadan: The Aerial Battle

**Garadan: The Aerial Battle**

Nitros sat tensely at his command console inside the Guard's lead ship. He knew that the Clan was aware of their presence in Mazone's airspace. He and the thousands of other ships hovering in semi stasis in over the planet had to have been the ultimate giveaway. He could see Garadan in the distance, and it was moving closer to Mazone. He knew what many others at the time didn't.

Garadan was moving in to provide cover.

He began to think about their escape plan. In case things got too hairy. They had worked it out many hours before the offensive was to begin, but he was beginning to have doubts in his mind.

"What exactly are we up against here?" He thought to himself.

Before he could think any further, no less than four of the massive ancient Lienu spacecraft appeared, deactivating the cloaking devices that had kept them hidden. How long they had been there Nitros didn't know. One thing was certain; the Guard had just gained a very powerful ally. At least Nitros hoped.

Two of the spacecraft flanked Garadan, and the other two flanked Mazone on either side. It appeared that the alien crew wanted to make absolute sure nothing could escape into space. Suddenly Garadan purged a massive group of Dragon Warships.

"Move out! Take down anything and everything you can!" Nitros barked through his radio to his fleet.

The Dragon ship began firing at once, with the Guard returning fire. Nitros rolled his ship and was barely able to squeeze between two pursuing Dragon ships that had been coming at him head on.

"They don't care if they die. This must be a suicide mission for some of them…"

As the Guard continued to battle, even more Dragon ships showed up to the fight. Nitros looked toward the two Lienu ships flanking Garadan, and even they were having issues fending all of the Dragon ships off. They were able to fire their massive beams and eradicate large groups of Dragon ships at a time, but it appeared that the beams needed time in between shots to recharge.

Without warning, another beam screamed through the airspace and vaporized a large group of Dragon ships. Nitros immediately thought that a fifth spacecraft had arrived, but he was pleasantly shocked to see the Genesis arriving at full force into the battle.

"The Genesis is here! Thank Mihaele it's here!" Nitros yelled out over the radio.

"Damn right we're here! And we have a new weapon, courtesy of our alien friends." Bammer replied.

"Good God man! Is that the same beam they're using?!"

"Bingo! It needs time to recharge, but she packs a punch! We'll take the rear flank around Garadan. Maybe try to cut some of those scum of!"

"Affirmative!"

Bammer steered the Genesis toward Garadan, fully intent on staving off some of the Dragon resistance. He waited patiently for the main beams to recharge while focusing on using the Genesis's main cannons to blow the Warships out of the sky.

Things soon turned for the worse, however. With the massive fleets of Dragon ships continuing to pour out of Garadan, the Guard was hopelessly outnumbered. Nitros knew it, and he needed to get what was left of his fleet out of there so they could make a hasty retreat.

"Fall back! There's too many of them!"

"No! We can do this! They're weakening!" Bammer yelled back.

"There's no time! We're gonna lose it all if we stick around!"

As Nitros battles with himself over what exactly to do about the situation, he spied a large golden cloud approaching the battle scene from the direction of Aurelus. As it got closer, he could see that the cloud was in fact hundreds of Angelic Bombers. They were each surrounded with a brilliant golden barrier, and Nitros had no doubt that those barriers were otherworldly and allowed them to function in the vacuum of space without the need of armor.

The angelic beings began to group into a large ornate shaped formation as they moved toward Garadan. At once, they unleashed a mammoth golden pulse that rocked the space station. From his vantage point in his ship, Nitros could see Garadan's power failing. The lights went out, and every hatch that had been open slammed shut. Now was the Guard's chance to move out and wipe out the remaining resistance.

"Fire at will! Take them all down!" Nitros screamed.

The Guard ships worked in unison to systematically wipe out the remaining Dragon ships. The Genesis worked to take out any Dragon ships attempting to escape from Mazone's airspace. Soon, all was quiet. There was only one more hurdle to take care of in the airspace, and the Lienu had it covered.

The four Lienu spacecraft moved in to surround Garadan. In one fell swoop, four beams went off and the massive space station as blown to pieces. Shrapnel rocketed into the battle field, and the Guard fleet had to make efforts to get out of the way. Soon, the fireball faded, and all that was left of the long deactivated Garadan Empire was a darkened cloud of dust and smoke.

Nihilobus felt rage. He had been watching from Mazone's surface, and he was more than angry. He turned to face Dracomas.

"Tend to Titus. Prepare him for an assault."

"Shall we go into full combat?"

"We shall. We have an ace in the hole with Titus. Get him ready. I have something I need to take care of. Now."

With that Nihilobus blasted off into space, making his way to Aurelus.


	27. Mazone: The Confrontation

**Mazone: The Confrontation**

Titus groggily crawled from the hole he had been blown into by the Lienu beam. He quickly regained his bearings and came face to face with Dracomas, who was standing on the feeding platform.

"The time has come. You'll have your feast soon enough. The little Knights are here."

Titus looked around, watching in amazement as pieces of Garadan fell onto Mazone's surface.

"Some space station…" Titus growled in mockery.

"I'll thank you to save your condescending attitude for another time. We have more pressing matters at hand."

Dracomas gestured to the field below the base. Sure enough, the Knights had arrived. Bomberman was with them, and Titus knew he would enjoy chomping down on their bones. The mighty dragon flew down to the field and unleashed a massive ball of fire.

Everyone leapt out of the way save for Baelfael.

"Ahhh that feels good! I'm the Crimson Flame you idiot! Fire is my friend!" Baelfael taunted.

Titus grew angrier by the minute. These pathetic creatures were invading his territory, and one had the nerve to mock him. He wouldn't stand for that. Dracomas had help in the form of a platoon of Dragon Warriors.

"Attack! The sooner they die, the sooner Titus can eat!"

Bomberman threw bombs at the Dragon Warriors, knocking a few out of the battle right away. Soon, even more poured forth from the underground base.

"Well now, this sucks. Hard!" Bomberman yelled.

Meanwhile, the Elemental Knights had their hands full battling Titus. Behemos knew that his ice attacks wouldn't faze the creature, so he had to rely on the brute strength of his fists. The Lord of the Frozen Wastes flew around Titus, periodically knocking off chunks of his icy armor with his bare fists. Zoniha was busy firing beams of light at the dragon's face.

"I have to blind him. It might be our only chance at this!" She thought to herself.

She peppered Titus with light energy, and Zhael fired bolts of lightning into the dragon's body. Baelfael used flame to melt his armor, exposing the weak flesh of the creature.

Ashtarth used tornadoes to blow away the Dragon Warriors protecting the dragon's feet, and Regulus set his sights on Dracomas. He flew up to the feeding platform and grabbed the Shaman as he attempted to flee. He took Dracomas high into the sky and flung him into the air. As Dracomas fell screaming back toward Mazone's surface, Regulus cut him off. The Elemental Knight of Space chopped Dracomas into pieces and threw them at Titus.

"There's your meal!" Regulus yelled at the beast.

Soon however, Titus got the upper hand. He took a swipe at Ashtarth and knocked the Lord of the Winds down hard, flinging him into Mazone's icy wastes. One breath of fire later and Zhael and Zoniha fell to the planet's surface as well. More Dragon Warriors arrived, and soon the battle was getting out of hand.

Bomberman heard a noise above him, and he was stunned to see ships. More specifically, they were ships from Primus. As they landed, he could see the Primus Elite Knights running toward the battle field. Even more stunning was the fact that Pommy was with them!

"We made it! Let's rock these guys!" Pommy yelled.

The Elite Knights began taking down Dragon Warriors with their mighty swords, and Pommy threw miniature bombs that packed just as much of a punch as regular bombs did. Bomberman had become distracted however, and he was knocked to the ground by a bomb blast from a group of Dragon Warriors. One walked up to him and stood over him menacingly.

"Time to die!"

Before the Dragon Warrior could react, a large sharpened pike impaled him from behind and sent a wave of electricity coursing through his body. Soon, the warrior was fried. As the body lowered, Bomberman saw a Lienu standing there. Behind the alien, more Lienu charged into battle with their electric pikes. He could see one of the spacecraft in the distance, beaming more Lienu down to the surface.

As Barius commanded the Elite Knights in the battle, he got a good look at the Lienu. He had never seen a creature like that before. Large visors covered both eyes, and a large brain was encased in a clear metallic helmet. The bodies of the aliens were clad in metal armor, and they moved with swift efficiency.

As the Elite Knights and the Lienu battled the Dragon Warriors with Bomberman, Zoniha, Zhael, and Ashtarth were already up and back in the fray. Dragon Warriors were dropping left and right, and Regulus knew the Knights needed to hurry and put an end to Titus.

"Alright Knights, let's end this!"

Zoniha blinded the beast with light while Zhael continued to shock the dragon. She fired bolts of lightning at the beast's exposed flesh as Behemos and Baelfael knocked off pieces of Titus's icy armor. Ashtarth continued to blow away Dragon Warriors with tornadoes, and Molok threw lava coated rocks at the beast's exposed flesh. The rocks caused burns and festering wounds, and Regulus knew the beast was ready for the final blow. He unleashed a massive beam of negative energy into the dragon, and it blew Titus's head clean off. The dragon's body fell to the ground, and soon the battlefield was quiet. The few surviving Dragon Warriors had no choice but to surrender. Barius walked up to Bomberman.

"Hell of a fight kid. Don't worry about these idiots. We'll personally transport them to Thantos."

"I'm just glad that thing is gone. I suppose we're gonna need to find a way to dispose of it though."

A voice behind Bomberman spoke up.

"We'll take care of it."

Bomberman spun around to see a Lienu clad in ornate armor.

"I've never properly introduced myself. My name is Kreko Liomas. I am a commanding general of the Lienu fleet. It was I who was looking through your window back on Planet Bomber."

"It's nice to finally meet you. I had no idea you were the one at my window."

"Apologies if I frightened you. Arumeus had told us you were the one, but I had to see you for myself. It was probably reckless, but I knew we had found the one."

"I just do what I can. The sentiments are appreciated though."

"We'll haul the corpse into deep space and properly dispose of it there."

Kreko and the rest of the Lienu were beamed back into the Lienu spacecraft. The massive ship fired what appeared to be large harpoons attached to steel cables into Titus's corpse. The dead dragon was hauled up toward the ship, and another of the Lienu spacecraft used the same kind of harpoons to haul the dragon's head away. Soon, the ships had disappeared into space with the corpse. Bomberman heard Regulus speak up behind him.

"Bomberman, we have a problem."

"I was just about to ask you where the hell Nihilobus went…"

"He went to Aurelus. We need to get back there. Now."


	28. Aurelus: The Final Showdown

**Aurelus: The Final Showdown**

Nihilobus and Arumeus fired balls of energy at each other.

"So, THIS is the culmination of your pathetic attempt at power and control." Nihilobus sneered.

"Salvation will win. You couldn't possibly hope to stand against it."

"My power has become far greater than you know. Nobody can stop me now!"

The two being continued to fire energy at each other, unable to really do much damage to one another."

"Well Nihilobus, it would appear we're at a stalemate. You thought you had your ace in the hole with Titus. However, look where that got you. I however, have a better ace of my own."

Suddenly Bomberman and the Knights arrived at the scene of the battle.

"Arumeus, we're here!" Bomberman yelled.

Nihilobus created a dark barrier around Bomberman and the Knights, rendering them immobile.

"If that's your ace in the hole Arumeus, then you fail worse than I could ever possibly fail."

Arumeus fired light energy at the barrier in an attempt to dispel it, but it was too powerful.

"Hold on everyone, I'll get you out of there!"

Arumeus was blasted by Nihilobus and knocked to the ground. As he crawled away, Nihilobus blasted him with more dark energy. Arumeus was weakened, but he was laughing.

"And what may I ask, is so funny? You've lost! I've won! Your little friends will fall to the powers of darkness. And there's nothing you can do."

"While I treasure my Knights dearly, did you honestly think Bomberman and the Knights were my ace in the hole? Really Nihilobus, you're a fool."

"I see nothing else. Just the future corpses of a failed revolution."

"When Regulus took the form of Bulzeeb, he never was the true Knight of Shadows."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Nihilobus yelled.

He could now hear Regulus laughing from inside the barrier.

"Hey, idiot! Do you see my armor? Blue. I'm the Elemental Knight of Space. Always have been!"

"Well then, who's the Knight of Shadows?!"

Arumeus replied and pointed to the sky.

"He is."

Everyone looked skyward, and the clouds parted. A mammoth steel ship appeared, lowering itself toward the surface of Aurelus. However, it was no ordinary ship. Bomberman knew what it was.

The Black Fortress.

"No. No it can't be. He can't be alive…" Nihilobus said, shaking.

Altair peered down at the crowd from a perch mounted on the side of the Fortress. Bomberman could see him clearly now. His darkened purple armor appeared even darker than it had when he fought him on the Fortress. Altair's eyes glowed only the darkest of crimson, and the true Elemental Knight of Shadows screamed out of the sky and headed straight for Nihilobus.

Altair slammed into Nihilobus and blasted him with everything he had. As Altair stood over the weakened Nihilobus, he gave the dark being a piece of his mind.

"My mind is now free of the evil influence you set upon me. Did you really think I wouldn't return to face you? For the King of Darkness, you sure are a fool. I've always been the true Elemental Knight of Shadows. Regulus took over for me while Arumeus was kind enough to repair my damaged body."

Altair blasted Nihilobus again, and Arumeus joined in with a blast of golden energy.

"One more thing Nihilobus. That little barrier you created. Only another being of the Shadows can disable it. As it turns out, I have that power." Altair taunted.

At once the Elemental Knights began blasting Nihilobus with energy. Nihilobus fired a beam of energy into a group of trees on the other side of the clearing. The ground began to tremble, and Bomberman could see a large figure tearing through the trees toward the group.

Stheroth.

"Guys, we have company!" Bomberman screamed.

"I have this under control!" Arumeus replied.

He summoned a large golden orb from the heavens, and within the orb Bomberman could make out the form of the Goddess Mihaele. Mihaele emerged from the orb and turned toward Zoniha.

"Our light is the only thing that can banish Stheroth! Come!"

With that, Mihaele and Zoniha flanked the large demon and began blasting him with their light. Sthertoth swiped at them, determined to get to Nihilobus. Arumeus alternated his blasts of golden energy between Nihilobus and Stheroth. Soon, the ancient demon was down for the count. The body of Stheroth was slumped mere feet away from Nihilobus, and Arumeus quickly teamed up with Zoniha and Mihaele to banish Stheroth once again. Nihilobus could only watch helplessly as he laid on the golden soil.

"No…no it's not over…"

Nihilobus was weakened by the Knights and could barely move. How could this be? All of the planning was wasted. He thought for sure he had it this time. And now, he was helpless. He heard something land by his head, and he turned to see a bomb lying there. He looked up to see Bomberman standing there with his arms crossed.

The bomb exploded and ripped Nihilobus's armor to shreds. As the explosion died down, the soul of Nihilobus disintegrated into the golden atmosphere of Aurelus.


	29. Mazone: The Restoration

**Mazone: The Restoration**

As Arumeus arrived on Mazone with Bomberman and the Elemental Knights, he could see that the Lienu were already hard at work. They were cleaning up and beginning to restore Mazone to its former glory.

Bomberman was greeted by Nitros.

"You were amazing Bomberman. It seems as if there's nothing that can hinder you."

"I had a lot of help. The Knights, Arumeus, and the Lienu were all a huge part of all of this."

"We owe our lives to all of them. I can only thank the stars that Gold 1 showed up when it did."

"It's called Aurelus, actually. And it'll always be there."

"Then praise be to Aurelus."

Arumeus and Kreko approached the crowd of Elite Knights and Guard members.

"Fear not. The Nebula and the Neutral Ring will recover. I promise to restore Epikyur and Starlight to how they once were. You all fought bravely, and for that we would like to thank YOU. Without all of you, the Dragon Clan would have been unstoppable. We may have powers, but it's the will of all of you that helped get this done. We'll never forget the sacrifices you all made."

Arumeus and the Knights all dropped to their knees and bowed in tribute to the crowd. They stayed there for a good while as the crowd cheered and applauded wildly. They rose to their feet and blasted into the sky back toward Aurelus. Kreko greeted Bomberman again.

"You're strength and courage is to be admired Bomberman."

"I thank you Kreko. For everything you and the Lienu have done for us."

"You're most welcome. The fight isn't over though. So long as the Nebula exists, there will be those that try to destroy it. We'll always be here watching over the universe. You can bet on that."

"What will you do now?"

"For now, we have a group of planets that need us. They need their lives back, so we won't be going anywhere for a good while. Take care Bomberman. We'll most certainly meet up again."

Bomberman shook Kreko's hand and was then greeted by Pommy.

"Well Pom, what do you think? Are you missing Primus yet?"

"Actually, I miss Planet Bomber a lot more. I think I'll return and make a home there again."

"What about Princess Millian?"

"She'll be ok. She has Barius and the Elite Knights. We can go and visit anytime we want."

"True. Very true."

"Do you think they'll be happy to see us back home?"

"You know Pommy, I have a feeling they'll be VERY excited to see us."


	30. Bomber: The Homecoming

**Bomber: The Homecoming**

The parade was glorious. Bomberman, Red, Nitros, and the Elite Guard were honored in the most spectacular fashion. As the motorcade neared Bomber Base, they all disembarked. Captain Blast was there to greet them, and the crowd settled down. Blast spoke up.

"Commander Nitros, it is with great honor that myself and the entire Guard thank you. We had a meeting, and decided to form a new rank, one of which you will be promoted to immediately. It is with great pleasure that I present to you all Supreme Lieutenant Nitros!"

The crowd cheered wildly, and Nitros took the podium.

"Thank you all. It will be a great honor and privilege to serve as your Supreme Lieutenant. My first duty will be to call Bomberman up to the podium."

Bomberman stepped forth.

"In recognition of Bomberman's efforts, I'd like to present the Medal of Heroics to him. Bomberman, you've earned it."

More applause followed.

"I'm honored Nitros. Thank you."

"Now, should you decide you wish to join the Guard, it will also be my duty to appoint you as the new High Commander. Feeling up to it?"

"I'm flattered and honored at that as well, but I think I've had enough excitement for a while. Besides, you'll do a fine job as Supreme Lieutenant."

"If you're sure. The opportunity will always be open to you."

"Thank you Nitros."

"With that, let the celebrations continue!"

Later that night, Bomberman, Red and Pommy sat on the hill overlooking Expith.

"Do you think Arumeus is watching us right now?" Pommy asked.

"He's watching the entire universe right now. Bet on it. He and the knights always will be." Bomberman replied.

"Don't forget about the Lienu." Red countered.

"Them too."

As they sat watching the festivities, they could make out a brilliant golden glow in the distance. It bathed the night sky in a warm light. Bomberman and the gang took comfort in the glow, knowing for sure the universe was in the right hands.

THE END


	31. Epilogue: Author's Note

**Epilogue: Author's Note**

Let me be honest for a moment. This fic took me WAY too long to write. Two years to be exact. With life as busy as it is, I feel incredibly bad for letting go as long as I have. It probably has way too many chapters to it, but regardless I had a blast writing it.

Now for a bit of backstory.

Like many of you, I have always been a huge fan of the Bomberman games for the N64. They're brilliant. I had always wanted to write a story based on that universe. I wanted to find ways to link the games together into one great big universe. To try to fit the stories together without making it feel forced. It was a challenge, but eventually it all started coming together.

I had gotten my inspiration from the multiplayer of Bomberman 64. Specifically, the costume parts. The Golden Armor was what eventually turned into Arumeus. The Dragon Armor became the Dragon Clan, and the Knight Armor turned into the Elite Knights. The Xbox Live Bomberman game has a ton of costume parts as well, and the Lienu and Angelic Bombers came from those.

I began to think of different ways the Elemental Knights could be tied into Altair's universe. Nihilobus spawned from the idea that there could be a being out there that could shape shift and disguise himself however he wanted. I knew I wanted to create two beings that were the true beings of Light and Dark. Mihaele and Stheroth were awesome, but I never really felt like they were the be-all end-all of the universe. Once I was able to tie Nihilobus into Sirius, and tie Rainbow Palace into Aurelus, I knew I was onto something.

I also knew I kind of wanted a twist thrown in at the end. That came in the form of Altair being the true Elemental Knight of Shadows. Some readers may have seen that one coming, and maybe some didn't. He was my "ace in the hole" as Arumeus would say. I think it worked out well, but I'll let the readers be the judges.

I hope you all enjoyed this one. Apologies for how long it became. Lots of chapters and lots of interconnecting stories ended up making up the fic. For those of you that stuck with it, read it, and reviewed it, you have my most sincere thanks. This is only the beginning. More fics are on the way based on various other games. Maybe one day, I'll make a return to the Bomberman Universe. Again, thanks to all of you for doing what you do best!

The Swex


End file.
